Masterclass
by Fettkat
Summary: A Star Wars Holiday Special! In which young Jedi Knight, Ben Skywalker finds out whether he has it in him to eventually be Master, and teaches all around him some very important lessons on life in his own inimitable style. Starring, Ben, Jaina, Jag and Allana, with the Big Three in supporting roles, and introducing a whole host of OC's.
1. Author's Note

_**A Star Wars Holiday Special!**_ Had to race against time to finish it and start posting in time for the universal holiday season! But here it is:

The fledgling **FETTKAT PRODUCTIONS** is once more proud to present a generally heart-warming warm-n-fuzzy-fic occasionally sprinkled with my favourite brand of pop philosophy!.

Sometimes a Master is born, and sometimes, he is made. And some other times, you just don't know what you have inside of you until you're shoved into the deep end.  
The future holds many lessons for Ben Skywalker: Growing up, letting go, and eventually facing your own destiny while holding the future of the galaxy in your hands.  
Thus, a young man moulds his destiny and what he will eventually become and finds the strength, confidence and belief in himself to do so... with a little help from friends, family and a very special bunch of kids!  
Does he have what it takes to become the next Skywalker hero? Does he have enough confidence in himself to be so? And can he do it in his own inimitable style?  
To find out, read on!

Introducing my current favourite OC's, Jaina and Jag's identical twin sons, Davin and Cherian Fel, in roles far more expanded than the mere mentions they have received so far in my fics. (I've come to really love these scamps!)

To those (wonderful!) readers who have also read 'Myri and Me', this fic is placed in the timeline just before the start of the climactic events of that story.  
To others, no sweat. You don't have to read 'Myri and Me' to be able to follow this one, though you might just have to take my word for certain events referred to in some of the chapters. Of course I wouldn't say no if you wanted to stop by "Myri and Me" and even leave me a thoughtful review...!

Ok, disclaimer time. None of the characters except for the OC's belong to me.  
And Star Wars now belongs to (gulp!) Disney! (I mean, seriously, guys?! Are you kriffin' kidding me?! You know they're in it for the rides, right?! )  
But of course should they choose to introduce Johnny Depp in the Star Wars franchise as a swashbuckling smuggler-captain or something, I wouldn't mind...)

And now... _Drumroll please_...On to '**Masterclass**'!


	2. Chapter 1: The Incident

_**A/N: This fic is not as long as Myri and Me was and chapters will vary in length with a couple coming in multiple parts. I shall be updating this more frequently too, so expect a new chapter/part every couple of days.**_

_**And so, we begin...**_

Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker frowned slightly to himself at the hushed tittering and muffled giggles coming from further down the line of shelves in the Jedi Temple Archives. Master Medjev, the Temple librarian was extremely strict when it came to maintaining the silent sanctity of the Archives, so even these faint sounds coming from the last row were to be considered unusual. He moved forward cautiously, his footsteps barely making a sound on the lustrous Ithorian marble lining the hall floor.  
As he came into view of the last row of shelves, his eyebrows shot up at the sight before him and his lips parted in an inarticulate cry of surprise.

Young Davin Fel clutched at his eldest cousin's leg in eerie fascination as he stared upward with wide green eyes. Luke followed the little boy's gaze only to bite back sharply on a gasp of shock. His twin brother, Cherian (Che, for short), was crawling precariously along the topmost shelf, barely visible in the dimness that clouded those heights. He was making his way slowly towards the far end, gripping the edge of the dust covered shelf, something clutched tightly in his left hand. The Grand Master's own son, Ben Skywalker, stood below, his eyes closed and his breathing deep, in classic meditative stance while his little five-year old cousin clasped the hem of his tunic, jigging from one foot to the other, afraid of making even a sound as he watched his brother's daring expedition.

Luke realized Ben was holding onto little Che in the Force so that even if he slipped, he wouldn't plummett to a grievious injury onto the ground. But what stunned him was that he was allowing the twins to do this at all! Afraid of jeopardizing his grand-nephew's safety by breaking his son's concentration, Luke forced himself to hold his tongue, watching with his heart in his throat as Che reached the far end, crouched over something for a moment, and then leaned over dangerously to flash a grimy smile and a thumbs up. Dav nodded vigorously, beckoning him to come down and simultaneously tugging on Ben's tunic.

"He did it, Ben! He wants to come down now," he communicated in a soft whisper.

Without opening his eyes, Ben gave an imperceptible nod and Luke saw Che being lifted off his perch as if by an invisible hand and brought gently floating down to the ground. The little boy did his best not to giggle at the weird sensations he had to be experiencing, dangling in mid-air, but couldn't help emitting a stifled squeak.

Once he was sure Che had his feet back on the ground, Luke very audibly and very pointedly cleared his throat.  
All three of the culprits jumped and the two youngest immediately sought refuge behind their tall cousin leaving him quite exposed to the wrath of the Grand Master.

Ben looked suitably sheepish as he faced his father.  
"Oh...uh- hi Dad..." he managed, scratching the back of his head guiltily.

"What," Luke began in a furious whisper, stepping forward and locking eyes with his son, " in the name of the holy black void do you think you are doing?!"

Ben looked startled at his father's vehemence.  
"I-I was just- uh..."  
Suddenly he found his throat going unaccountably dry.

"Please, Great-Uncle," a small voice piped up from around the region of his knee.  
"He was only helping us."

Luke looked down into the identically worried faces of the two little Fel boys.

"Yeah, Dad." Ben finally seemed to have found his voice.  
"There's a whisperkit litter up on top. It's been there for a couple of weeks. One of them found it's way down somehow and we found it roaming around on the Temple steps. It could have gotten killed! So we decided to see it back to its family."

Blue eyes and green stared at the Grand Master, round with protested innocence, begging for his understanding.  
Luke sighed, cradling his head in one hand.  
"Ben, how old are you?"

The Jedi Knight flushed.  
"Twenty-six," he mumbled, shame-facedly.

"And how old are these two?"

Ben glanced down with a frown.  
"Hey, how old're you two?"

"Five!" the two little Fels drew themselves up, proclaiming proudly.

Luke looked at his son entreatingly.  
"So don't you think you could be expected to have a little more sense than them?"

"Hey!"  
Ben's eyes flared with righteous indignation.  
"I'm not small enough to climb up right to the top! And besides, I had Che in the Force the whole time! I wouldn't have let him fall. I swear!"

Luke shook his head in weary resignation.  
"Every time I get my hopes up for you, you go and pull something like... _this_! Sometimes I feel like the future of our Order is doomed!"

"We saved a whisperkit family!" Che piped up, eager to come to his beleagured cousin's defence.  
"That was the right thing to do, wasn't it?"  
He swivelled his gaze from one adult to the other.

Ben smiled and reached down to ruffle his shock of light brown hair.

Luke wagged a finger at his irresponsible offspring.  
"Jaina will have your hide if she ever finds out what you let them get upto."

"Are you kidding?!" Ben spluttered incredulously, " After all the stunts _she_ pulled in _her_childhood?! I've got the whole goods from Uncle Han! It definitely runs in the family!"

Luke snorted as he turned to leave.  
"Oh is that so?! Wait till you have kids! Then I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the show!"

** [ ****_t.b.c..._****]**


	3. Chapter 2: The Announcement

Ben was out, dropping the twins off at Jaina and Jag's so Luke and Allana sat together in the living room, waiting for him to get back for dinner.

"You know, sometimes I worry about your Master," Luke addressed his grand-niece.

Allana, lithe and regal at eighteen, smirked in response.  
"We all do, Uncle Luke. But what's it in particular that's got you going this time?"

"You won't believe what I found him upto with the twins today in the Archives."

Allana's eyes lit up.  
"Was it the whisperkits?!"

Luke regarded her ruefully.  
"Of course. You found them first, didn't you?"

She nodded.  
"I thought they'd eventually make nice pets for the twins."

Luke raised his eyebrows.  
"Oh? You think your aunt and uncle are going to allow them to keep a whole litter of whisperkits?"

Allana bit her lip.  
"Well...ok, maybe not the whole _litter_, but... two or three? Atleast two!"

Her great-uncle shook his head, a fond smile teasing his lips.  
"Sometimes you remind me so much of your father..."

Allana blushed and looked away, but right at that moment, the front door whooshed open and closed, indicating their wait for dinner was finally over.

* * *

Ben strode in, taking off his cloak. Dressed in black, tall and athletic, Ben certainly looked the part of a capable Jedi Knight. Of course he'd proved it innumerable times, on the field and in battle, but every so often, Luke would be able to glimpse the terribly mischievous child his son had once been, and although the events of this day had startled him, he wasn't entirely ungrateful for such rare moments. Ben had had far too truncated a childhood. Perhaps this was the way he kept his balance.

Allana rose to embrace her cousin and Jedi Master and was greeted in return by a warm kiss. She was his first apprentice, assigned to him at an unprecedented young age, even before he had been promoted to the official rank of Jedi Master. He still hadn't achieved that title yet, but Allana entertained no doubt that it was only a matter of time. He had become a seasoned commander and his nature made him approachable and popular with all whom he came into contact with.

"Uncle Luke was telling me you went to see the whisperkits with the twins today."

Ben grimaced.  
"Complaining more like, right? One of the kits got out of the Archives. We found him wandering outside, luckily before he got hurt. Che of course, wanted to return him to the litter...the hard way."

Allana grinned at the thought of her little cousin. It hadn't taken her long to figure out what the "hard way" might have entailed.

"You were there though, right?" she interjected sternly,"He could have gotten hurt otherwise."

"Of course!"  
Ben seemed affronted at this suggestion of irresponsibility on his part. He jabbed a thumb in the direction of his father.  
"Dad wasn't happy when he caught us, though."

Luke pursed his lips.  
"It was still a terribly dangerous thing for him to be doing, Ben, and you know that."

Ben regarded him patiently over the bridge of his nose.  
"Dad. They're Jaina's kids, ok? Trust me when I tell you that that's not going to be the most dangerous thing they do before they hit puberty."

At this, Allana hurriedly stifled a snort of laughter and even Luke managed to break into a rueful grin.

"All I can hope for is that atleast I'm there so that 'dangerous' doesn't turn into 'stupid'."  
He had been bringing dishes out of the kitchen and efficiently laying the table as he spoke.

Allana went in to help him while Luke, content to be waited on by the youngsters for a change, took his customary seat at the head of the table.

Ben had always been looked upto by his younger cousins, and it was a role Luke knew he enjoyed. Sometimes he wondered how things might have been if he and Mara had had more children. He had the feeling Ben would have been an excellent older brother. Allana, Davin and Cherian already held him in that role and he seemed to fill it perfectly.

Luke smiled to himself at the thought. Ben had been born in the middle of a horrific war, as the sole beacon of hope in a sea of darkness. Mara had suffered a terrible disease during the pregnancy and neither of them had even thought of adding to their brood. His wife had even threatened to vape him if he got her pregnant again! Ben himself had tended to keep them sufficiently occupied with his antics as a child and despite how fine a young man he had grown up to be, Luke sometimes found himself yearning for those days. When he would have to wrestle a squirming little boy into bed and keep him down with stories and toys until he finally fell asleep. When he would come home to nearly be toppled by his little son's enthusiasm in jumping into his arms with screams of "Daddy!".

Luke's smile turned a little wistful. It had been more than two decades since he had been called "Daddy".

And then Mara had died and their lives had been turned upside down. Overnight it seemed Ben had grown up into a hardened adult, a disillusioned veteran. Their roles had been reversed, with his son now taking it squarely upon himself to be protective of his crushed father, zealously guarding him from harm and terrified of the day he might lose him too. But Luke knew all too well that the day would come when Ben would have to face a hostile and dangerous galaxy alone, with no guiding hand at his shoulder. When he would have to take his own decisions and follow his own path and serve as a guiding light for others to follow. He recalled only too well how difficult that journey had been for him and hoped that his life's work would serve to atleast ease some of those hardships for his son.

"Yep, we lost him."

Luke returned from his reverie at the sound of the dry voice to find the two youngsters regarding him with identical looks of amused indulgence.

"Forgive the old man. He tends to doze off sometimes."

"Sure. Just as long as he eats his veggies without a fuss, he can sleep in his soup for all I care!"

Luke glared at his son with feigned irritation.  
"And for this I devoted half of my life to raising you! Ungrateful brat. No respect for his elders!"

Ben's auburn eyebrows shot up.  
"_Half _ your life?! Don't exaggerate, old man. It makes _me _ seem old!"

* * *

Luke leaned back in his chair, a smile quirking the corner of his lips.  
A momentary silence had fallen over them all, the only sound being the scraping of cutlery against their plates.

Ben watched him warily. Something seemed to be on his mind and he wondered whether it would bode well for him.

"You know, son," he began, "I do believe I've reached a decision."

Ben and Allana both looked to him enquiringly.

He leaned forward, still with that curious smile, fixing his son with a determined look.  
"From tomorrow, I'm going to assign you to teaching a class at the Temple."

Pin-drop silence greeted this announcement, much as Luke had expected. He sat back, feeling like a sabacc player who had triumphantly revealed his final trump.

Finally, Ben couldn't contain himself and emitted a huge snort of laughter. He chuckled for a few minutes before he was able to compose himself.  
"And this is your punishment for me?!" he spluttered.  
"To lock me up in a room of Wampas for an hour a week?!"

"Actually, I was thinking you'd be more effective with the Woodoos. And it would be for atleast four classes per week."

"Woo-!"  
Ben's eyes widened and his mouth fell open.  
"You- you want me to teach _toddlers_?! Do I look like a mother _hen _to you?!"

"You were doing just fine with two of them today," his father pointed out.

Ben's brows drew together in a stormy scowl.  
"Oh you just try calling them 'toddlers' to their faces, Dad. I dare you," he muttered.

Allana, who had been sitting quietly all this while, looking from one man to the other, interposed gently.  
"I'm with Uncle Luke on this, Ben. I think you'd make a wonderful teacher for the new initiates."

Ben shot her a dark look, still looking frumpy.  
"'Course you would. I was brilliant with you. "

"I think I learnt the most patience and control just by _tolerating_you."

Ben turned back to his dad.  
"But what about squirt here? She's not done with her training yet. She keeps running off to play Princess Pea to the Queen Mother."

Allana looked as put out as she possibly could.  
"I am Hapan _Chume'da_! I have responsibilities to my people! And I _hate _it when you call me 'squirt'! Have I told you that?"

"About six million times," Ben mumbled under his breath, an impish grin suddenly appearing on his face.

She glared at her smirking cousin, wishing it was still becoming for her to stamp her foot in irritation.

Luke spoke up placatingly from her left.  
"I believe Allana is quite ready to give the Trials."

Both heads whipped to face him with looks of equal disbelief.

"You can't be _serious-_!"

"Really?!"

"Dad! I'm her Master and I know she's _not _ready to give the Trials!" Ben thundered at his father, rising to his feet.

"But I _am _ ready!"  
Allana confronted her brother angrily.

Luke waved at both of them.  
"Stop yelling and _sit down _!" he commanded.  
"Allana's right. She does have responsibilities as _Chume'da _and those are only going to grow with time. I have been observing her under you, Ben, and I am fully confident in her abilities to pass the Trials."

The young princess looked at her great-uncle gratefully.

"So you want to take her away from me?" Ben growled.

Luke frowned.  
"Of course not, Ben. Don't be ridiculous! I intend nothing of the sort! But I do need you on Coruscant more now. And I do need you to start assuming more responsibility. It won't help if you have to go bounding after 'Princess Pea' here every other week, as you so eloquently put it."

Allana looked miffed again.  
"Well! if you two are kindly done calling me names, I think I'd rather spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's!"

"Sit!"  
The command came simultaneously from both Skywalkers, not even sparing her a glance.

Allana fell back into her chair, without another word.

Luke effortlessly stared down his son, although he was the taller of the two, glowering beneath drawn auburn brows.

"Allana is to give her Trials the next time they're held and I am appointing you instructor for the new batch of the Woodoo Clan," he said in a tone signifying that this was the end of the discussion.

Ben shook his head, slowly reclaiming his seat and realizing he wouldn't win this argument through the power of volume alone.  
"I'm no teacher, Dad. You'd be making a big mistake with this. And that is something I cannot allow you to do."

To his surprise, his father smiled, a warm smile crinkling the edges of his crystal blue eyes.  
"Then it appears I have more faith in you than you do in yourself. Even Allana agrees with me. You underestimate your mentoring capabilities quite grossly, my son. Someday you will become Jedi Master. Young Jedi padawans will look to you for guidance and you will be duty-bound to provide it. I think it's time you got a move in that direction."

Ben looked distinctly uncomfortable. He fidgeted with a corner of his napkin.  
"Dad... I think there's a long, long time left for that to come about. And there'll always be the senior Masters... I-I can't handle a bunch of kids, Dad! I wouldn't even know what to do!"

"Did you know what to do when you took Allana under your wing?" his father retorted.  
"When Dav and Che come running to you for help, do you deny them? Ben, when you were born, even your mom and I were terrified! Someday, when you're holding your first-born, you'll know what that feels like. We'd seen Leia and Han handling their kids, but when it came to you, we felt clueless! But we still did the best we could. We tried to adapt to situations as they arose and learn from them. The trick with kids, Ben, is to let them teach _you_."

Ben was blushing so furiously that the colour of his face almost matched that of his hair. He fidgeted even more nervously.  
"Geez, Dad! I mean, these guys are my cousins! I-I've never really thought about it... And 'Lana... well, I was nervous about her too, you know. I always thought maybe Jaina or one of the Masters might have done a better job."

"You've done fantastically with Allana, Ben. And everyone on the Council is of the same mind. It has thankfully turned out to be one of the better gambles I've taken."

Luke smiled as the two cousins exchanged an affectionate glance.

"But she is not the only challenge that you must face on your road to Masterhood. Think of this as another step towards your destiny. Trust me, it will stand you in very good stead in the future."

The young Jedi Knight regarded his father steadily and seeing him unwavering, shrugged in defeat.  
"Don't tell me I didn't warn you though, when all the other Masters in the Temple start getting as many grey hairs as you."

* * *

Allana woke in the middle of the night to see him standing on the balcony in a relaxed meditative stance, legs apart, hands lightly clasped behind his back. His robe flapped around him, revealing his bare well-muscled, well-scarred chest. She quietly went to join him.

"Nervous?" she asked softly, leaning over the balcony rail and looking out over the still bustling city.

"That's an understatement!"  
Ben didn't seem to be surprised at her presence. They had always been easily comfortable in each other's company.

She turned around to grin at him, leaning back against the rail casually.  
"You don't give yourself enough credit, Ben, really."

He shook his head, smiling lightly.  
"I'm honest enough to admit I don't have the patience."

"You had enough patience with _me_!"

"Ha!"  
He came to stand beside her, wrapping a brotherly arm around her shoulders.  
"That's coz Uncle Han had already worn you down before I got to ya!"

His eyes became uncharacteristically soft.  
"I'm going to miss you, Princess."

Allana looked away, feeling a lump growing in her own throat.  
"I know," she replied in a whisper.  
"It's not going to be the same without you. Not nearly as fun."

Ben affectionately ruffled her hair.

"Ben?" she asked after they'd spent a minute in silence, leaning against each other.

"Mmhmm?"

"Do you think I'm ready to face the Trials?"

Ben drew back to regard her with a smirk, his blue eyes twinkling.  
"Oh sure. I just don't think the Trials are ready to face _you_!"

Allana reached over to punch him and only succeeded in getting pulled into a hug.


	4. Chapter 3: The Double-Cross

_**[A/N: Sorry for the length of this one, but I promise a bigger chapter over the weekend!]**_

Jagged Fel had faced many formidable adversaries throughout his life. He had spent sleepless nights in the midst of do-or-die battles and stared down scheming politicians without batting an eyelid.  
But he had never before in his life had to admit defeat after being drenched from head to foot in soapy bath-water while his opponents ran around the apartment, stark naked, pretending to be a Chiss clawcraft and a Star Destroyer respectively.  
He wished his wife would get home. He wished he could be rendered Force-sensitive just for one evening. He wished he had some whisky-  
Wait a minute! The last he did have!

Jag pulled himself off the couch, still leaving soapy puddles wherever he stepped and dragged himself to the kitchen where he had to scramble around in the topmost cabinet for a few minutes before he found the bottle of aged Corellian which had been presented to them by Lando Calrissian. He poured himself a stiff drink, closed his eyes and took a sip. Much to his surprise, he found that the liquour worked! The twins' capering didn't hurt his ears quite so much anymore! In fact... the house had fallen eerily silent.  
Jagged Fel turned slowly to find two pairs of identical green eyes staring at him from the doorway.

* * *

He looked from one to the other, now fully clothed, standing solemnly in quiet attention before him.  
"So are we clear on this?"

Two brown heads nodded assent.

"And Mommy doesn't need to know."

Again, the two simultaneous nods of assent.

"And you don't pull a stunt like that again."

His twin sons shared a brief look of dismay. The bucket of bathwater rigged on top of the wardrobe had been an awfully good trick.

Jag didn't let up on his utterly serious stare.

They sighed.  
"Alright, Daddy. We won't do it again," they droned, eyes studiously on the carpet.

Jag straightened up on the couch.  
"Good. Then I won't be driven to the bottle again."

Davin, the elder of the twins by three and a half minutes, spoke sombrely.  
"Grandma Leia always says that that stuff is very bad for you. She says it makes your head go woozy and you end up doing a lot of crazy things."

Jag smiled wryly to himself thinking Leia probably had very good reasons for believing so.  
"Well, you know what your grandfather's always saying about her."

"That she's always right?" the two chorused in unison.

Jag nodded, smiling benevolently.  
"She's certainly right about that. And it's something you would do well to remember throughout your lives!"

"But then why were you drinking it, Daddy?" Che piped up.

Jag held up a stern finger.  
"Because the two of you were driving me to doing crazy stuff!"

The little boy looked away abashed. Jag put a hand on top of each of his sons' heads.  
"But I'll still be glad if you two didn't tell your mum about it, ok?"

The twins exchanged a glance.

"Daddy?"

"Hmmm?"

"Can we ask you something?"

Jag looked from one of his boys to the other curiously.  
"Of course you can, son."

"Can we have a pet?"

Jag's eyebrows jumped up and he felt a faint foreboding in his heart.  
"Pet?" he asked cautiously, "What pet?"

"Whisperkits!" they both chimed joyously.

"Whisperkits?!" Jag exclaimed incredulously, "Where would you find whisperkits?"

"There's a brand new litter in the Jedi Temple! We've been visiting them for two weeks! But they run away sometimes and we're afraid they'll get hurt. So we wanted to keep them here with us!"  
Davin, the more diplomatic of the two, always managed to put up a cogent argument.

Jag's brows drew together.  
"I'm not sure that would be such a good idea, son. Whisperkits need to be taken care of. You know neither your mother nor I have the time."

"You wouldn't have to! We'll take care of them!"

"Wait. _Them?! _How many are there?"

"Six."

"_Six?! _Oh no. Absolutely not!"

Two lower lips trembled in front of his eyes, but Jag forced himself to be adamant.  
"I have strong doubts whether you'd be able to take care of even one!"

"We would! We promise! Please, Daddy?" the twins beseeched him.

It was a test of will, Jag recognized.  
"The two of you spend all day at the Temple. If you brought the whisperkits here, who would look after them while you're gone?" he tried to reason.

It was Cherian who came up with an instant answer.  
"But we can take them with us when we go to the Temple! Their mommy's there. They can go to her while we're training and we'll pick them up when we come back!"

Jag passed a weary hand over his face. Five-year old logic sounded so absurdly simple most of the time, he was tempted to accept it!  
"It wouldn't be quite so simple, I'm afraid. We can see about a pet when you two are older and more responsible, alright? But not now."

The twins knew when they'd lost an argument with their father. But they never liked it. Their faces fell, arranging themselves into similar expressions of heavy sulking. But Jagged Fel remained immovable.

It was time for Plan B.

* * *

So as soon as the door to their apartment swooshed open that evening, the twins rushed to jump their mommy first and as soon as Jaina had scooped her little boys into a warm hug, they grew very serious and announced,  
"Mommy. Do you know what we caught Daddy doing today?"

Jag, standing within earshot, waiting for his turn to greet his wife, froze.  
He couldn't believe his ears! He had just been double-crossed by his own twin sons!


	5. Chapter 4: The Kids

_**[A/N: And so the teaching begins!]**_

Eight pairs of eyes of hues ranging from the deepest and most inscrutable black to the most lustrous golden to none at all regarded him as steadily as he regarded them. They were measuring him up, assessing his worth while he stood silently, trying to still the rapid beating of his own heart and form his own assessment of the situation, while unconsciously awaiting their verdict.

"What's your name?"

The question came from a Rodian girl, standing in the middle of the room, who had so far been considering him with her head diligently tilted to one side.

Ben hunkered down, so he could be at the same eye-level as her and answered with extreme gravity.  
"My name is Ben Skywalker. And I'm going to be your Master for this class."

There was an audible intake of breath at the mention of his name and hushed muttering broke out in various corners of the small classroom. It appeared his reputation had preceded him.

"Aren't you some kind of big Jedi hero or something?"  
This was thrown at him by a human boy, lounging towards the back, who looked slightly old for a Woodoo.

Ben straightened, and then shrugged in response.  
"My Dad doesn't think so. He still yells at me if I don't make my own bed."

The younglings all stared at him for a moment, unable to believe that a full-fledged Jedi Knight and war hero had just made a joke, and then burst out into squeals and giggles.

Ben looked around at them all in frank surprise.  
"What? You guys don't get yelled at for not making your beds?"

"My mom does, sometimes."  
This came from a shy-looking Devaronian girl.

Ben scrunched up his nose.  
"Yeah. Mom used to yell at me for it too, now that I come to think of it."

The ice had been broken. There was a palpable melting of the tension that had lain in the room and Ben relaxed. He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at them all.

"Ok then. Since you know my name, how about you guys tell me yours? Let's start from you," he nodded at the boy who had called him out.

"Ike. Iker Cama."

Ben gave him a companionable nod and looked over at the next, the Rodian girl who had quizzed Ben first.

"Leela."

"Leela? That's a pretty name!"

The little girl giggled.

Standing by the far window in an attitude of attention as was customary for his people was a blue-skinned Chiss boy.

Ben waved a hand toward him.  
"Forget it. I probably won't even be able to pronounce your full name. What's your core name?"

"Max."

"Great. Welcome, Max."

And so it went on. There was the human boy, Ike, a Bothan female, a Wookiee who howled her name, Leela, the Devaronian girl, Aalya, Max, and a pair of Miraluka twins, Jennet and Xamie.

"So. First day for you guys, huh? What do you think of the Temple?"

The young Bothan chirped up, her golden eyes round with wonder, "Please, sir. It's so big!"

One of the soft-spoken Miralukans nodded.  
"And extremely strong in the Force."

Ben grinned.  
"Yeah, well, the Jedi have occupied this place for many centuries. 'Cept for the time Palpatine took control. Figures we'd leave some of our essence behind! So, have you guys had a look around yet?"

The younglings looked at each other doubtfully and as one shook their heads.

Ike tried to interject smartly, "I went to the cafeteria."

Ben nodded in approval.  
"Try the nerfballs in gravy there on Wednesdays. My personal favourite."

He looked around the class.  
"Well then," he exclaimed, his eyes twinkling, "That decides our curriculum for today. I'll be taking you guys around for the Special Skywalker Guided Tour!"

* * *

"The Jedi Temple Archives," Ben announced with a theatrical flourish, halting in front of his little troupe. Lowering his voice, he cautioned,  
"You will never find a more sanctified hive of knowledge and learning. We must be cautious."  
The younglings all looked at each other, seeming suitably impressed. Ben put a finger on his lips and led the way forward.

All the childrens' faces were expressive of their wonder as they entered the great halls of learning. Ben strode forward before them, keeping up a drone of commentary.  
"...Chief Librarian, Master Markre Medjev. I'll introduce you when we get to meet him. But you'll have to be careful. He's awfully strict. No sense of humour. Doesn't like anybody disturbing the peace and quiet of his beloved library. The man can hear if you so much as whisper at the opposite end of the hall-"

Ben broke off abruptly as he turned to find himself face-to-face with a dark-haired man, regarding him with a steely-eyed glint and a humourless smile. He gulped.  
"Younglings, Chief Librarian, Master Medjev."

The children mumbled greetings. Master Medjev acknowledged them with a brief nod.

Ben tried to smile.  
"Just the new batch of Woodoos, Master. Thought I'd show them around..."

His brief attempt at pleasantry died away under the stern gaze of the older man, who looked around his shoulder, addressing his assimilated charges.  
"Younglings, I am glad to see you in the Temple Archives and certainly hope some of you will make a good habit of coming and studying here. I would urge you, however, not to follow the example of Jedi Skywalker here, who, including the instant occasion has now obtained the dubious distinction of being kicked out of the library 57 times."

Ben looked at him in frank astonishment.  
"Wait. You're kicking me out? _Again?!_ What'd I do this time?!"

"You're _still _ talking, Jedi Skywalker, and thereby continuing to disturb the peace of the halls of learning."

"Aw c'mon! I'm just giving the kids a tour!"

"Well then, it looks like their tour to the Archives is over. They are welcome to come and explore what it has to offer at another time when you aren't around to make such a racket."

"They might get lost."

"I'm always available to render any form of assistance to any of the padawans. Now out!"

"But-!"

"I said OUT!"

Ben retreated in a hurry, the Woodoo Clan following a discreet step behind. Once they had stepped out of the Archival halls, Ben glanced back ruefully and rubbed his neck.

"Told ya, no sense of humour."

"Master Medjev kick you out again?" a mild voice enquired from behind him. Ben whirled, only to see himself confronted by the smirking visage of his father.

He grimaced, replying, "Yeah...I had no idea he was even keeping count!"

Luke sighed, shaking his now entirely grey head, but still unable to keep from smirking at his son's discomfiture.  
Ben turned to his group of younglings, all of whom had frozen in place and were staring at Luke Skywalker with mixed looks of awe. The Grand Master smiled at them all.  
"Younglings, may I present the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, Luke Skywalker, my illustrious father."

The children continued to gawp.

"Well?" Ben allowed a note of faint irritation to creep into his voice, "Where are your manners?"

"Greetings, Grand Master Skywalker," the group chorused in unison, still quite unable to break the spell of awe at seeing such a legend in the flesh.

"Greetings, padawans," he responded kindly. "I see my son has taken it upon himself to give you a tour of the facilities."

"Well, atleast the important things," Ben shrugged, trying and failing to seem modest.

Luke cocked an eyebrow.  
"Then I must say I am surprised to see you began with the Archives and not the mess-hall!"

Ben grinned then turned to face his class.  
"Younglings, word of advice. If you ever see Master Skywalker coming at you with a lightsaber, hold your ground. You'll get pretty roughed up, but you'll learn a lot. But if you ever see him giving one of _these _ looks, it means there's a lecture coming up. That's when you cut and run."

Luke looked faintly exasperated.  
"You all would do well, padawans, not to be led astray by Jedi Skywalker's extremely misplaced sense of humour."

"Trust me, Dad," Ben replied, casting a twinkling glance over his shoulder as he herded the younglings in the opposite direction, "This is twenty-five years of experience talking!"

* * *

Ben was leading the Woodoos along the second level beneath the Temple foyer when he heard a muffled tittering to the side. Glancing into an alcove, he frowned at the sight of two small huddled figures, staring out through a latticed peep-hole into the courtyard on the other side. Bidding his group to stay where they were, Ben approached his twin cousins. He crouched behind them and tweaked their ears.

"Why're you two snooping around? Aren't you supposed to be with Master Tionne?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're just going!"  
They didn't even bother to look around.

Ben frowned.  
"Say what are you looking at anyway?" he asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.

"Look! Down there!"  
Davin pointed with an over-enthusiastic finger.

Ben followed his cousin's gaze to see...  
"Aww, you guys!"

Despite his protestations, Ben himself leaned forward to make sure who exactly comprised the couple who seemed to be so intent on snogging the life out of each other in a seemingly secluded corner of the courtyard below.

_Turi Altamik and Kunor Bann! No way! _ he thought to himself. _Wait till I tell Jysella! She's gonna go nuts if Turi hasn't already told her!_

"Isn't it _disgusting?!_" Cherian giggled, "They're _so _ going down with the cooties!"

He rapped the two boys on the head, forcing himself to be stern.  
"Hey! Stop with the peeping you two and get your behinds to class before I have to haul you out!"

They turned round to look at him, faces scrunched up in looks of displeasure.  
"We don't wanna! Tionne's boring!"

Ben glared at them.  
"Course she's not! She's awesome! She sings."

"Yeah."  
The looks of disgust didn't leave the twins' faces.  
"Boring!"

Ben scowled at them.  
"Well that's it. You've officially fallen out of favour with me. To class or I'm calling your mother!"

Davin and Cherian reluctantly trudged out under the shadow of such a threat, casting dark looks toward their betraying cousin.

When he'd made sure they were headed in the right direction for their own class, Ben turned back to his own.  
"Ok, guys. As our last stop on the Temple tour, we're going to be visiting the totally astral Room of a Thousand Fountains."

Immediately he heard astonished mutterings behind him.

"Wait, a _thousand _fountains?! Are you serious? There're really a _thousand _ fountains in the Temple?!"

Ben smiled to see how constantly magical the Jedi Temple was turning out to be to these new initiates. It reminded him of his own exploring days when he had been a young padawan, with far fewer cares on his shoulders.

"Well, then. That can be your homework. You're going to have to find out and tell me if there're _really _ a thousand fountains in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, cool? And then we're done for the day."

The kids perked up and set off down the corridor, a new spring in their steps as Ben followed behind, locking his arms casually behind his back.

_Well! _ he figured, thinking to himself, _Maybe this whole 'Master' thing won't turn out to be so bad after all!_


	6. Chapter 5: The Jam

Senior Jedi Knight Valin Horn looked up and broke into a grin as his friend Ben Skywalker strolled into their jam room, letting out a long breath and running a hand through his hair.

"Whew!"

He flopped down on a low seating cushion.  
"Babysitting gets tiresome after a while."

"Well, congratulations, _Master _Skywalker!" Valin drawled, "Just heard the good news about your promotion!"

Ben grimaced.  
"Promotion? Hardly! Dad intends it more as a punishment! A life-lesson, if you will."

"Oh? I thought you were there to teach the kids something, not have it the other way around!"

Ben shrugged, lacing his hands behind his head and stretching his feet out to their full length.  
"The kids don't seem too bad. Let's see how it goes. Today was just my first day, and I managed to survive _that _! You gotta give me _some _credit!"

Valin smirked.  
"I'm surprised the kids were able to survive _you _!"

Ben aimed a punch at his older friend which he easily dodged.  
"Need I mention they were _very _impressed with me."

"Oh sure. Were you able to show them the way to the 'freshers without getting lost?"

Ben regarded him balefully.  
"Hey. That only happened once. And you _knew _I was drunk!"

Valin shook his head, his smirk not having dimmed in the slightest.  
"Honestly, I don't know who to feel sorrier for. You or the younglings!"

Ben gave him an annoyed glare.  
"Oh right. Like _you'd _be able to do a better job!"

"Of course I would! I'm great with kids!"

This time it was Ben's turn to smirk.  
"Sure. Just not great enough to _have _any! Besides, I've never heard of anyone calling you in to even baby-sit for them."

"Well I don't happen to have procreating cousins all around the place like you do. And Jys will, eventually, I'm sure."

"You're taking your time about this, Horn, I must say. You really ought to let me set you up sometime."

Valin scowled.  
"Gosh! Not you too! You're starting to sound just like my mother! 'Don't you have a girl in your life, dear? I'm sure you do! Don't you think it's time to settle down, honey?' I'm already going crazy without _you _jumping on the bandwagon!"

Ben sighed melodramatically.  
"Well then I guess it's up to me to put Aunt Mirax out of her misery. 'Aunt Mirax, I hate to have to tell you this, but your son plays for the _other _team.' "

"Why you little liar! I do not!"

"When you gonna come out of the closet, Val? I mean, seriously? You're good-looking. Any guy would be lucky to have you."

Valin sighed, kneading his forehead.  
"How about you get it through your thick skull that just because I don't have a girlfriend doesn't necessarily mean I'm _gay _!"

Ben shrugged.  
"You sing, you dance, you're single. What else could it mean?"

Valin looked at him exasperatedly.  
"All of that also applies to you, you know."

"Sure, but I'm not _old _ like you. Besides, if _I _ were gay, you'd be able to hear hearts breaking all across the galaxy! Can't let _that _ happen, now can we?"  
Ben winked.  
"We _are _ Jedi Knights after all!"

* * *

"Hang on hang on," Valin interrupted, holding up his hand and wrinkling his brow in concentration. They were in the middle of a jam session, testing out a new song Valin had recently written.  
"You come in on the fifth bar, not on the third. Let me play till here (he played a sharp electric riff), and that's when you start lightly with the snare. Got it?"

Ben frowned too.  
"And you sure you got it right? You're playing a C-minor when it should be an A-minor. It's going horribly off-key."

"Hold on..." Valin muttered, fiddling with the tuning knobs, "It's this blasted tuning... gotta save up for some new strings... Ok. That ought to do it. You wanna take it from the top?"

Valin and Ben made it a point to meet as often as they could in their "jam room", one of the seldom-used rooms on the lower levels of the Jedi Temple in order to indulge in their secret passion, music.

They had begged their respective fathers long and hard for permission to use it as a sort of garage studio for their fledgling band, promising to render it completely soundproof so that others in the Temple would not be disturbed by their playing. They had saved and scrounged for every piece of their equipment, from instruments to amplifiers and microphones, Ben's drumkit and even a fourth-hand antique sound mixer! They were justifiably proud of their pet project and took every spare moment they had to experiment with their hobby. Being Jedi Knights, the two had long ago given up their dreams of becoming musicians or rockstars. Now it was just a closet passion, cultivated whenever they were able to cull out some time from their respective busy schedules to meet and make music.

Friends and family knew about their "jam room", of course, as did all the Jedi Masters and they were safe as long as they managed to exercise a certain amount of volume control. Valin's sister, Jysella, had been recruited as an occasional bassist, but the two young men would generally find themselves practising alone. But right now, that was about to change.

"...and the next instant the blasters come out, so it's already become a brawl, but I'm still in disguise! I can't even risk using the Force! So I did the next best thing. I picked up two shots of whisky from the counter, threw them into their eyes, grabbed their blasters and walked out of that cantina, cool as you please!"

Ben let out a snort of laughter, almost choking on his bottle of lomin ale. They were taking a beer break, sprawled on the floor, while Valin worked at fixing one of the strings he'd just broken.

"Boy, you are the _master _ of avoiding a fight!"  
Valin shrugged.  
"Hey. I was unarmed. And besides I don't suffer from the stupid 'hero complex' you Skywalkers do!"

Ben looked at him shrewdly.  
"Well then I don't think you should have insulted his mother in the first place."

"Maybe not. But when a guy gives you lip like that, how do you resist?!"

They remained silent for a moment, recalling memories of the times they'd fought their way of a million sticky situations. Trouble never seemed to be too far away, no matter where they went.

The door screeched behind them, startling the two Jedi from their reveries. Instantly they were on full alert. A small tousled head of black hair poked itself around the door.

"Master Skywalker?"  
Ben winced, quickly trying to hide his bottle of beer. Valin tried to stifle a snort.

Iker Cama entered hesitantly, looking around him in surprise.  
"What were you guys doing?" he enquired curiously.

"Wait you're allowed _beer _ inside the Temple?"  
His tone was incredulous.

"Well...n-no. Not exactly, but-"  
Ben cleared his throat, sitting up authoritatively.  
"Ike. What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in your dorm?"

"I-I heard music... So I followed it...here."

Ben and Valin exchanged puzzled glances.  
"We were being that loud?"

"Well, no..."  
Ike looked abashed.  
"I wasn't in the dorm anyway. I was on the level just above here, exploring."

Valin consulted his chrono.  
"Bit late for that, padawan, don't you think?"

Ike looked at him inquisitively.

Ben hastened to the introductions.  
"Jedi Knight Valin Horn, Iker Cama. He's from Corellia. He's one of the new Woodoos I'm teaching."

"Ah." Valin nodded sagely.

"But what are you doing up, Ike?" Ben asked with a frown.

Ike bit his lip.  
"I couldn't sleep. I just wanted to get to know this place better."

Something about his words didn't strike Ben as quite right. His frown deepened. He rose from the floor and walked forward, coming to crouch before Ike so their eyes were level. Ike shifted uncomfortably, not willing to meet his gaze. Ben studied him for a moment, then he spoke, softly and not unkindly.  
"You were looking for an escape route, weren't you?"

Ike's dark eyes flashed up to his in surprise, and his mouth fell open.  
"Wha-?! How-how did you know?"

He closed up as a thought struck him, suddenly turning sullen.  
"Were you reading my mind?"

Ben shook his head.  
"No. I took a guess. Because it's what I would have done if I had found myself in a place I didn't want to be."

Ike seemed uncomfortable talking in front of Valin, so Ben took him into a corner so they'd have a bit of privacy while Valin worked, casting a glance at their huddle from time to time.

Ben noticed Ike glancing suspiciously towards him.  
"He's my friend. You can trust him. He won't tell anyone."

He saw him cast a worried glance up at his own face and sighed.  
"I won't tell anyone either. Whatever you tell me now, I promise, remains between the two of us, ok? Now. What's bothering you?"

Ike fidgeted nervously.  
"I never wanted to be Jedi," he finally mumbled, studying his toes intently.  
"They brought me here coz I had no other place to go. But I don't want to be locked up in a fancy palace. I've got to get on a ship and get back home."

"And where is home for you?"

"Corellia."

"You have family there?"  
Ike bit his lip and shuffled his feet. Something in his Force aura grew cold. Ben wasn't surprised.

"I read the report on you, you know. You were brought in by Master Kyp Durron. Apparently you're an orphan and he caught you using the Force to pick pockets and steal from shops."

Ike stiffened, automatically assuming a defensive stance, as if afraid he was going to get a beating.  
Ben's heart softened at the unconscious adoption of such a gesture. It was probably testament to the hardships the child must have already faced in his short life.

He sat down on the floor, drawing his knees up to his chin and regarded the boy over the top of them. After a while, seeing no reprimand was forthcoming, Ike relaxed and slowly sat down in front of Ben. Ben didn't say a word, choosing only to observe, until he felt Ike growing suspicious of his continued silence.

He sighed finally, shaking his head and choosing to break the ice that had suddenly grown between them.  
"I'm not going to judge you, Ike. I know that perhaps that's what you're used to and that's what you expect. But we're not like that."

Ike didn't look entirely convinced.

"But if I may ask, why do you want to go back to Corellia?"

Ike fidgeted before mumbling a reply.  
"This place's too fancy... for the likes of me."

"It's a change, I'm sure, from the back-alleys of Coronet City. Is that so bad?"

Ike didn't reply. They sat in silence for a few minutes more.  
"You don't have to stay, if you don't want to, Ike," Ben said softly. His eyes held a world of compassion.  
"I won't force you to become a Jedi."

Ike looked up, startled.  
"You- you won't?"

Ben shook his head, then got to his feet, holding out his hand.  
"Come with me."

Ike scrambled to his feet and followed him out of the room.

Valin laid down his tools and looked after them, exasperated.  
_Now what in the world is that bantha-brain upto?_

* * *

Ben stood with Ike, just before the main entrance of the Jedi Temple, his hands clasped behind his back.  
"Do you have any credits? Any way off-world?"

Ike was staring intently outside. At his freedom. At Ben's question, he shrugged carelessly.  
"I'll figure somethin' out. Maybe stow away on some ship..."  
He trailed off, realizing whom he was talking to.

Ben didn't look at him, but a small smile formed at the corner of his lips.  
"You know, Ike, when I wasn't too much younger than you, I myself never wanted to become a Jedi."

Ike snapped his gaze to the tall figure next to him, his mouth falling open in stunned surprise.  
"Really?! How come? I mean,... you were born Jedi..."

"So were you."

Ike frowned.  
"It's... not the same."

"Why not? Because of who my parents were?"

Ben sighed deeply.  
"When I was born, there was a furious war raging in the galaxy. I was carted around from place to place, wherever the war took my family. Thanks to being Force-sensitive, I was able to sense all the death around me, the constant pain, fear, anger, grief..."

Ike noticed his eyes darkened at the remembrance, and something twitched along his jaw-line.

"I was a baby and naturally, I was terrified. I couldn't understand what was happening around me. Then, after a failed kidnapping attempt, my parents sent me away, to a safe shelter for the younglings for the rest of the war. I didn't see my family for almost two years. And I blamed the Force for it all. I hated it and forcefully cut myself off from it. I was convinced that the Force was the source of nothing but misery and pain. I staunchly refused to touch it again for many years. Not until I was eight or nine years old did I finally open up to my potential in it as a Jedi padawan...and that was only thanks to my first Master."

Ike noted he didn't name his Master.

Ben stood, looking out unseeingly at the vast panorama that was Coruscant for a few moments more before shaking himself from it and looking down at the young Corellian boy with a small smile.

"I learnt that good and evil both exist simultaneously within the Force. It is both, and it is neither. It depends on what you choose to make of it. And I learnt that no one is born with Force potential whom the Force deems unable to handle it."

Ben said it all in a light conversational manner. It didn't sound like a lesson to Ike, but it made him think. Suddenly, he found his heart sinking within himself. Coruscant, the Jedi Temple... it was all so big, so unfamiliar. Things around him were changing way too fast and he felt like he was drowning in the newness of things.

"It's ok to be scared."

Ben was speaking again, looking at him almost as if he could sense what Ike was feeling.

"A lot of people say Jedi should not fear. But I know that's almost impossible to actually achieve. You feel alone in a new place. It's perfectly natural for you to be intimidated. I remember I used to feel the same way, once upon a time. But it needn't always be that way, you know. You will make friends. More than friends. The Jedi of the Temple are like one big family. Nobody here would hesitate to lay down their lives for you. And you would be expected to do the same. There's a lot you could learn and your life would seem to have a sense of purpose for once."

Ben's smile seemed to have a touch of his usual smirk about it again.

"And remember. With great power comes great responsibility. You have been gifted with the power of the Force. But, in the end, it's finally up to you to choose what you want to do with it. Whether you want to embrace it and try and make a difference to this galaxy, or reject it and run away."

He laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, drawing his attention to him once again. He dug into a pouch in his belt and drew out a datachip, handing it to his surprised ward.  
"Here. If you do decide to go anyway, go to Galactic City Spaceport and ask for someone named Wes Janson. Give him the chip. He can arrange for credits for you and find a way to get you home, ok?"

Ike stared at him, his eyes round, the chip resting limply in his hand.

Ben hunkered down in front of him, and his eyes crinkled into a smile.  
"Whatever you decide, Ike, remember the Force will be with you. Always."

He patted him briefly on the shoulder, then stood up and walked away, without a backward glance.

* * *

Valin's eyes flashed as he regarded his friend, his arms crossed resolutely across his chest.  
"That was a very irresponsible thing for you to do, Ben. The Masters will have your head for this. You had no authority to let the kid leave!"

Ben looked back at him passively.  
"The Grand Master appointed me his teacher, Val. That gives me the authority to allow him to make his own decision."

"He's just a kid, Ben! He's our responsibility!"

"His choices are and will always be his own responsibility."

Valin shook his head warningly.  
"You're really going to get it for this. He could get into big trouble out on his own. He doesn't even know Coruscant, for Force sake! And you just point him in the direction of the spaceport and say go?!"

Ben's eyes twinkled mischievously.  
"I didn't just say go. I even made sure he had credits for a passage off-world. And I know what I'm doing, Val, trust me."

Valin simply looked at him, naked shock written all over his features.  
"Ben! Are you out of your kriffin' mind?! We- we have to go to the Masters about this!"

Ben didn't look the least bit fazed. He idly went and sat back at his drum-stool, twirling one of the sticks between his fingers.  
"Would you calm down? He'll be alright. Now c'mon. That piece we were working on. You wanna take it from the top?"

Valin's mouth nearly fell open in incredulity. He didn't know whether he should punch him, or shake some sense into him.  
"How can you think of music at a time like this?! You stupid nerf! We have to go after him!"

"Master Skywalker?" a little voice queried from the door.

Valin spun around and his eyes nearly popped at the sight of the subject of their debate, standing hesitantly once more at the entrance of their jam room, looking from one Jedi to the other, and clutching something tightly in a sweaty palm.

Ben grinned.  
"C'mon in, Ike. Reached a decision yet?"

He nodded shyly, approaching the young man. Wordlessly he held out the datachip in his hand.

"I'll stay."

Ben raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

Ike shuffled a bit and scratched his head before saying anything.

"You were right, Master. I guess I was just scared. I- I got nothin' for me back on Corellia, just... this is so different from what I'm used to."

Ben looked at him kindly.  
"The scavenging and stealing and the beatings?" he asked.

Ike nodded jerkily, looking embarrassed.  
"I mean, you just handed me the credits here. I didn't even have to ask! And... we get hot meals whenever we want!"

The boy's eyes were shining in wonder in such a way that Ben's chest hurt and even Valin had to briefly look away.  
This was something they'd taken for granted all their lives.

"The food here is better than anything I've ever had! I'd be a fool to throw it away! And..."

Ike hesitated, biting his lip.  
"What you said, about Jedi being like a family... I've never had family. But I'd like to find out what it's like, maybe...I-I'd do my best, if-if you'll still have me, sir."

Ben clutched the boy's shoulders. He was staring intently at the ground, trying desperately not to let one sniff escape him.

"Ike, you were brought to the Temple because you were meant to be here. You're meant to be a part of this. You'll always be welcome here, you'll always be able to call this place home. But what do your feelings tell you? Do _you _want to stay? Are you willing to dedicate your life to the Jedi Order?"

Ike didn't answer at once. Finally he looked up and Ben could see the tears glistening in his brown eyes.  
"I want to, sir. Yes. I guess."

Ben stood up, smiling broadly and clapped a hand on the boy's back.  
"Well, then Padawan Cama, welcome back!"

Ike grinned up at him.  
"Master Skywalker? Can I ask you something? If you don't mind?"

"Sure."

"Could you... maybe... teach me to play one of these things?"  
He pointed to a guitar lying on the floor beside Valin.

The two young men exchanged a look, and then broke out into shouts of laughter. Valin strode up and steered Ike towards them.

"Looks like we finally managed to recruit a new member for the band!"

* * *

Later, as they were packing away the equipment and preparing to go home, Valin looked over at Ben.

"Gotta say you impressed me today."

Ben grinned lop-sidedly and arched an eyebrow at his friend.  
"Oh? More than usual?"

Valin shook his head thoughtfully.  
"No. I mean, I've never seen this side of you, Ben. I think you really might have it in you to make Master someday."

Ben rolled his eyes.  
"Thank you _Master _Horn, for your undying faith in me!"

"You really trusted that kid would come back?"

Ben shrugged.  
"He's a good kid, Valin. I could sense that much. He's seen some tough times already, but... there's always hope. You've gotta give people a second chance. Not everything's as it seems up top, ya know. You've gotta look past that. People can surprise you. I mean, I honestly didn't know what he was gonna decide in the end. I just trusted in the Force to show him the way."

Valin nodded slowly.  
"You've grown."

"Sheesh!" Ben pulled a face.  
"Why does that surprise everyone? And besides, I've coached Allana for years. How come you didn't notice then?"

"The Princess Pea? Aw c'mon! You two always seemed to be having more of a lark than actually learning anything!"

Ben's mouth dropped open in indignation.  
"Hey! I'll have you know I trained her so well, Dad thinks she's ready to give the Trials!"

"Really?" Valin's brows rose in surprise.  
"Well, good for her! Another Jedi Knight to sit on the Hapan throne!"

"She really hates it though. All the royal shenanigans and the Hapan politics and backstabbing..." he trailed off.

Valin looked at his buddy askance, hearing more beneath his tone than he was willing to let on.

"You gonna be ok? I know you two were really close."

Ben made a big show of wrapping the snares in bubbleplast, avoiding Valin's gaze.

"Yeah well. I knew it was coming anyway," he said gruffly.

Valin sympathized. No matter how ready you claimed you were, you could never really be prepared to see little sisters growing up.


	7. Chapter 6: The Lessons Part I

_**A/N: Sorry, folks, but I've been in lazy vacation mode lately. A very happy 2013 to everyone and may the Force be with us all this year!**_  
_**This chapter is going to be divided into parts and sub-parts and in total encompass about six months worth of story-time in progression. I'm uploading two parts today and I'll upload another tomorrow. Enjoy!**_

**Part I- Inner Peace**

They started with the technique for simple meditation.

"Breathe...in...and breathe... out. Breathe...in and hold...and breathe out...Calm your inner selves, still your minds...Breathe in...and hold... and out."

Ben followed his own instructions and could soon sense a serenity spreading within as the Force suffused him with its presence. He reached out to the rest of his class, flickering essences at the edge of his consciousness, trying to latch on to his stronger, calmer one and gain sustenance. He remained steady, an island of reassurance for the young learners and felt a few strengthen and attain a stability of their own. He opened his eyes and saw the golden eyes of the Bothan girl, Brinn, staring back accusingly. She was sitting the closest to him and she leaned forward to whisper.

"You're peeking!"

He bent down and whispered back.  
"I'm allowed to! You're not. So what are you lookin' at?"

She glared at him defiantly.

"Would you two stop talking? Some of us are trying to concentrate here!"  
This came from one of the Miralukans, Jennet, sounding mildly exasperated, almost as if she were the teacher and Ben the pupil.

Ben glared pointedly at Brinn and put a finger to his lips, simultaneously reaching out in the Force to give her a faint nudge. Brinn gasped her eyes going wide at the unfamilliar touch.  
At the sound, many of the others, already frowning with the strain of maintaining a tenuous link with the Force snapped and Ben heard soft sighs of defeat all around. He held up his palms for silence.

"That was actually a really good effort from you all. I could feel a lot of you in the soup. I know how hard it must be to maintain this level of concentration at your age, but you will improve with practice."

"I could feel you in the Force, Master," the shy Devaronian, Aalya, piped up.  
"You were like a bright light."

Ben smiled and looked around.  
"Yes. The presence of a powerful Force-user in the vicinity can feel like that. So, how was it, you guys, reaching out to the Force for the first time?"

"It was hard, but not as hard as I thought it would be," said Leela, the little Rodian, tilting her head to one side.

Ben nodded.  
"The Force is all-encompassing. It surrounds us, penetrates us, binds us to all the creations in this universe. Meditation is one of those branches of Jedi learning that never ceases. Your true understanding of the Force will continue to grow the more you immerse yourselves within it. And you can only hear it speaking to you when you are passive, when your mind is free of all else but the Force and you allow it to flow through you."

Brinn tried to hide a sudden giggle.  
"What does it feel like to have the Force _flow _through you, Master?"

Ben was getting up from his seat. He whirled around with a wicked grin and caught her, tickling her sides and causing her to squeal.  
"Kinda like that. Now c'mon. I've tolerated enough poodoo from you lot for today. Class dismissed!"


	8. Chapter 6: The Lessons Part II

**Part II- The Code... In Song!**

All the younglings with the sole exception of Ike, were surprised to see Master Ben walk into the classroom with a guitar slung across his back. Ike only sat back and smirked to himself. Ben, however, took it off and stood it in a corner, paying it no further attention for the rest of the class.

The day's subject was the learning of the Jedi Code, the basic tenets of Jedi philosophy. They learned it by rote, repeating it over and over after their Master.

"There is no emotion, there is peace  
There is no passion , there is serenity  
There is no knowledge, there is wisdom  
There is no death, there is the Force."

Soon they were able to drone it out, word perfect and mechanical, without having to apply their minds to it, and Master Ben seemed pleased. They moved on to other things. Towards the end of the class, Ben called out to the Wookiee padawan,  
"Dusha, would you mind staying back for a moment please? The rest of you, I don't want you to leave just yet. Please form a line outside the room. I shall call you in one by one for a surprise question I have for each of you."

Instantly, the class began to buzz with alarm. None of them had prepared for a pop quiz! Ben clapped his hands and ushered them all out, leaving Dusha standing alone in the class.

Ben turned around and smiled at her reassuringly as the Wookiee regarded him with a puzzled expression, her head tilted to one side.  
"Hey, don't worry, ok? This isn't going to be hard. I just want you to repeat the Jedi Code you learned today for me. Can you do that?"

Dusha growled out an affirmation and then began, in her native Shyriiwook,  
"There is no passion, there is peace  
There is no serenity, there is emotion...  
There is no death...No, wait,  
There is no death, there is knowledge...no, the Force...?"

Ben knelt before her, a patient expression on his face, but not attempting to help her when she faltered. She looked at him, her eyes wide and helpless, hoping for a prompt, as she struggled to remember what they'd memorized a half an hour previously.

Ben gave her a small smile, his eyes twinkling and reached out to pat her on the shoulder.  
"Stuck, are you? Glad to see I wasn't the only padawan this happens to!"  
He gave her a conspiratorial wink.  
"How about you go stand over there by the wall, huh? I'll call in the others, see how they fare."

One by one the padawans trickled in, and each faltered in recalling the Jedi Code, stumbling and blushing at their failures, perplexed at how they could have managed to forget it within so short a time. The Miralukan twins added a "There is the Force" after every line.

Ben pursed his lips.  
"Alright, very funny, you two!"

Only Max the Chiss was able to recite it perfectly without hesitation.

Ben gave a snort of laughter.  
"Impressive, my boy. Most impressive!"

But he herded him in with the others all the same.

Then he sat back and regarded them all with that twinkling smirk gracing his lips.  
"Out of all twelve of you wannabe Jedi, only Max was able to get the Jedi Code right. And I just taught it to you less than an hour ago! Looks like we need to work a bit on memory retention, younglings. And that's why I want to introduce you to a very special friend of mine today, Riff the Guitar!"

He gestured to his old acoustic instrument drawing it to himself with the help of the Force and beckoned them all to sit. He settled down, arranging it in position and then looked back at his class.

"If you're wondering why I played such a cruel joke on you all today, well the truth is, I was curious. Because the exact same thing happened to me when I tried learning the Code by rote when I was your age. So you know I figured I'd share my method of how to overcome this problem with you."

He strummed a note on the guitar.  
"The trick to remembering something as wonderfully insightful as the Jedi Code, kids, is to actually understand it. And you can never understand anything unless you can really _feel _it, ya know?"

He strummed another note.  
"I made this up when I was about nine or ten years old and used to hum it to myself round the Academy on Ossus. Everybody thought I was crazy. But I showed them! It's not crazy, it's genius!"

He shrugged immodestly.  
"So, I'm going to sing it first. You guys try and catch on, ok? Then we'll all take it together."

* * *

Jedi Masters Kam Solusar and Jaina Solo-Fel were deep in earnest discussion as they walked down the hallways of the Jedi Temple when Jaina suddenly broke off in mid-sentence and frowned.  
"Master Solusar? Are you hearing that?"

Kam frowned too and listened. Sure enough, there seemed to be faint strains of a guitar playing and muffled voices coming from a couple of levels below where they were standing.

"Someone's singing in the Temple?!"  
Jaina was incredulous, but a small suspicion was beginning to form in her mind. Apparently Kam had the same hunch. Without a word the two Masters made their way downstairs.

As they neared the source of the music, Jaina and Kam both heard a number of young quavering voices raised in song, and in their midst, an altogether more familiar one.

_[chord]_  
Every Padawan must learn  
_  
[chord]_  
The difference between wrong and right  
_  
[chord]_  
Coz when all seems lost _[chord]_ and the way is dark  
_  
[chord]_  
It's what'll bring you into the light.

_[Rapping]_  
The Jedi Code, the Jedi Code  
Helps a Jedi walk his lonely road  
And when you've learned what it has to say  
In the darkness it'll help you find your way  
What does it say? What does it say? Can you tell me what it says?!

_[strumming]_  
There is no emotion, there is peace  
No passion only serenity  
Got no knowledge (there's wisdom theeeeeere)

If you feel death is all around  
Don't trust your eyes coz that ain't true  
A Jedi believes only the Force  
And the Force is always there with you

["One more time, everybody!"]

There is no emotion, there is peace  
No passion only serenity  
Got no knowledge (there's wisdom theeeeeere)

If you feel death is all around  
Don't trust your eyes coz that ain't true  
A Jedi believes only the Force  
And the Force is always there with you...!

_(*self composition)_

The song ended with a burst of laughter from the collected batch of younglings and despite themselves, the two Masters found themselves smiling. They could see inside the room where Ben Skywalker was sitting and playing on his guitar, surrounded by his class, clapping their hands or swaying as they sang along with him.

Kam nodded, as if he had suddenly remembered something.  
"He used to sing that song. When he was at the Academy on Ossus."

Jaina raised her eyebrows.  
"Oh? I didn't know the music bug had bitten him that early."

Kam smiled at her.  
"Oh it had bitten him a long, long time ago. I remember he would always be begging Tionne to play him something on one of her harps. And back in Shelter, he had this favourite lullaby which _I _had to learn or I wouldn't be able to put him to sleep!"

Jaina smothered her laugh just in time, turning to hear what Ben was saying as he dismissed his class.

"...so you won't forget it as long as you remember this song. Pretty cool, huh? Well, I want you guys to think about it and keep humming this, ok? Not too loudly, mind. And tomorrow I want to hear what you've understood by the Code and then we'll have a discussion about it."

The group of younglings filed out, murmuring greetings to the two Masters they were startled to see standing outside the classroom. A few of them looked back apprehensively, afraid they'd get into trouble for singing, but Jaina and Kam waved them on with smiles of encouragement.

Ben was just packing his guitar when he caught sight of his cousin and former guardian smirking at him from the doorway. He froze.  
"Uhh...Master Solusar, Master Solo-Fel," he acknowledged them cautiously.

"Interesting way you have of teaching the padawans, Jedi Skywalker," Jaina commented, her eyes twinkling as she stepped into the room.

Ben fidgeted with his instrument, still looking at the two suspiciously.  
"Uhh... I admit it's not exactly textbook, but I thought it would help them better appreciate the true meaning behind the Jedi Code."

Kam entered the conversation, raising his eyebrows and saying,  
"By singing about it?!"

"They were having trouble remembering it. I thought this way might help. Was I doing something wrong, Masters?"

Ben was utterly confused. The Masters stood in front of him, both looking slightly amused, but their Force-auras were guarded.

"Did you come up with that song yourself?" Jaina asked, refusing to answer Ben's question.

Her cousin nodded.  
"Ask Master Kam. He probably remembers catching me humming it round the halls of Ossus."

Kam grinned at Jaina.  
"That's what I told you."

Ben shrugged matter-of-factly.  
"See?"

Jaina appeared to consider something for a moment, then put forward another question.  
"So will you be teaching them to dance next?"

Ben flared.  
"Jaina! What's your problem, huh? I'm teaching them everything that's on the curriculum. What's wrong with making the process a little fun for a change?"

Jaina came forward, resting a fingertip on her cousin's broad chest.  
"That's Master Solo-Fel to you in the Temple, Jedi Skywalker."

Ben stiffened, his face hardening instantaneously.  
"My apologies...Master Solo-Fel."

Jaina tried to catch his gaze, but he just as adamantly refused to meet it, staring at a wall beyond her instead.  
She let out a breath in exasperation.  
"I think it's a brilliant idea, Ben. I'm not trying to pull you down here. I'm glad to see you're encouraging the apprentices to think for themselves and figure out innovative ways to meet challenges. And although I'll be the first to admit your methods are a bit...unorthodox, I doubt anyone expected a second Master Yoda out of you. You have the freedom to teach the students as you wish as long as it is appropriate to the Jedi Order and imparts the necessary lessons to the apprentices."

Ben stared at Jaina, feeling suitably abashed, now that he'd heard her through.  
"Jaina...I-I'm sorry..."

She waved his apology aside and turned to leave.  
"Just remember your manners, even regarding family while in the Temple, Jedi Skywalker. Oh, and if you don't mind, I'd like to introduce two new students to your class."

Ben looked curious.  
"Who?"

"Dav and Che. I think you'd do a better job of keeping those two in class and under control than Master Tionne does, no offence, Master Solusar."

Kam smiled and shook his head.  
"None taken. Poor Tionne has enough to tell me about your twins every night!"

This time Jaina grinned and turned back to an astonished Ben.  
"Well, they ought to seem familiar to this one" she said, nodding in his direction, "He wasn't much different as a kid himself, as far as I remember."

Kam laughed in agreement, but hung back for a moment after Jaina had taken her leave.  
"Inspired idea, I must say, Jedi Skywalker," he commented appreciatively,"Teaching the Code through music. I should suggest Tionne talk to you about teaching her lot the same way."

Ben flashed him a lop-sided smile.  
"I'm honoured you think so, Master. Master Tionne's taught me a lot of things through music. It's a double lesson, actually, the way I see it. The Code, once you truly understand it, can help you figure out what's right from what's wrong. And as for the music," he paused for a bit.  
"The day you lose the music, is the day you lose yourself to the dark."

_**A/N: Ok, I'll admit I went a little crazy with this one! But the idea wouldn't let go of me until I actually had a song written out for it!**_


	9. Chapter 6: The Lessons Part III

**Part III- The Duel**

Today the younglings were all gathered in the large lightsaber training hall, watching curiously as Master Ben levitated a huge load of equipment in front of him. But even more interesting was the sight of the astromech droid who trundled in behind him, tooting and beeping.

Ben dumped the armloads of training sabers, training probes and what looked like a big basket full of boloballs, before turning to his class with a grin.  
"Class, I'd like to introduce a very special and long time... erm, well, he's actually kind of the family droid. Artoo-Detoo. Artoo, this is the batch of Woodoos I'm teaching this session."

Artoo let out a long, loud trill of excitement at the Woodoos, who all laughed at him, before turning back to Ben and giving him a slightly more sarcastic one.

Ben aimed a light slap on the droid's dome.  
"Ha ha! Very funny, Artoo. Sometimes I have to think Threepio might just be right about you being a blob of grease!"

Artoo beeped at him irritatedly then returned his photoreceptor to regarding the padawans arrayed in front of him. All of them looked straight back at him curiously.

Ben was addressing the class.  
"The lightsaber. An elegant weapon of a far more civilized age."

There was a far-away smirk on his face. He looked back at his students, his eyes twinkling.  
"My namesake once said that, you know," he said with a lop-sided grin.

In one smooth motion, his own lightsaber sprang to his hand and ignited, it's light blue blade sizzling to life to quite a few awestruck gasps from the younglings. All their eyes were round with wonder as they beheld the beautiful but deadly weapon in their master's hand.

"This lightsaber was built by Anakin Skywalker, my grandfather," Ben explained. "It has since been handed down from father to son through three generations."

Ben retracted the blade and returned the hilt to his belt.  
"That's how important a lightsaber is to a Jedi. It is his own creation. It becomes an extension of his own body, sometimes his own mind. You can customize it to your own needs, your own style. And," he looked around as if to emphasize his next point, "It can even become an emblem of your identity. So much so that it can attain the status of an heirloom in your family."

He drew one of the practice sabers to his hand and motioned with it as he said, very seriously,  
"A lightsaber is all a Jedi needs. This weapon will become your life. The difference between whether you live or die. Keep it with you at all times."  
He looked around, making sure he made eye-contact with each and every one of the younglings.  
"And make sure you don't lose it."

He stood up and lobbed the saber into the air. Dusha, the Wookiee, caught it easily, being the tallest of the lot, and growled softly, turning it over in her hands. Ben smiled.

"I think you guys are ready to begin with your training sabers, so I thought we could have a bit of fun with these."

He indicated the jumbed pile of equipment.

"Come on and pick one for yourselves," he encouraged.

After the initial flurry to equip themselves with a suitable weapon, the class re-assembled, their gazes fixed intently on the kiddie-sized version of the famed weapon in their hands.

"Kids," Ben was speaking again, tossing a training probe up and down casually in one hand,  
"Before you begin, let me tell you something my mum once told me."

He looked at Leela the Rodian, studying her saber, for a second.

"The first rule of lightsaber combat..." He raised a finger to emphasize his point, looking all around, " is make sure you always stick 'em with the pointy end."

He flicked his finger and several of the students' sabers, including Leela's, lifted out of their hands, gracefully flipped through 180 degrees and landed right back in their outstretched palms.

Ben smiled genially.  
"The pointy end was the other way."

* * *

Ben had released several of the training probes and was walking around the large hall, monitoring each padawan's progress. He noticed Ike having a little trouble, desperately trying to follow the darting probe with his eyes and getting zapped left, right and centre. Ben walked up behind him and dumped a helmet on his head, it's blast-visor locked in place.

"Hey!" Ike protested shrilly and indignantly.  
"I can't see!"

Ben bent down to whisper in his ear.  
"That's kinda the point, kid. You're supposed to be a Jedi. All you need is the Force, not mere sight, and you won't be trusting in the Force if you're too busy trying to see with your eyes. Those fellas can deceive you, don't trust them."

He straightened, smiling to himself.  
"Another thing my namesake so very wisely said."

He watched as Ike paused for a minute to collect himself and focus his awareness, and in the next minute he'd blocked a rapid sequence of three shots and then sliced the probe neatly into two smoking pieces.  
Ben patted him on the shoulder and moved on.

He did the same to all the students except the Miralukans, for whom harnessing the Force without sight was second nature, and once he felt them grow comfortable enough, he turned off the probes for a moment and drew their attention to him.

"Ok. That's great, guys. But that was the easy part. You have to remember that a combat situation is never going to be quite this easy. It's not just about the blade in front of you, but also about your awareness. If your opponent is Force-sensitive, he will attack from many directions at once. You cannot limit your attention to one plane only. And you too will have to retaliate. So I'm going to play a little game with you guys. It's going to be loads of fun, I promise!"

He picked up one of the bolo-balls and with a hand gesture, discreetly motioned Artoo to his side. The droid rolled over silently on his treads.

"I want you all to spread out, ok? You now have the whole hall to move around in."

"Master? Can we take these helmets off?" Brinn the Bothan whined.  
"They make my ears itch."

She scratched uncomfortably against the duraluminium exterior.

"Sorry, sweetheart. Out in the field, you're gonna have a helluva lot more to worry about than a bad case of Helmet Itch, so you'd better start getting used to it! Alright, everyone take guard."

Eight lightsabers immediately adopted stances of readiness.

Ben grinned, casting a glance towards Artoo.  
"Ready? Aaaand Dodge-Ball!"

* * *

The training hall was in utter pandemonium. Young Jedi initiates raced around, blinded by their blast helmets, shrieking and weaving their small blades of blue, green, purple and silver. They were continuously hounded by levitating training probes, zapping stinging flashes of light into any undefended parts of their bodies. Into the middle of this, Ben Skywalker kept hurling the large bolo-balls, targeting legs and shins, drawing them back, and then throwing them forward again, keeping up an endless barrage.  
And Artoo-Detoo appeared to have gone completely off his circuits! He zoomed around on his treads, emitting whistles of war, his electronic arm extended like a lance, mercilessly shocking any poor stragglers among the younglings!

Ben laughed, watching the mayhem unfold before his eyes. He could sense the younglings' reliance and confidence in the Force growing. And as it grew, their movements became surer and more co-ordinated. At one point he was very impressed when Max executed a perfect backflip over Artoo while simultaneously batting away the bursts from three probes and kicking a bolo-ball deftly out of his way upon landing. He could literally feel the Force vibrating with the concentration of so many young minds.  
Which was why he was caught completely unawares when a very real lightsaber hissed to life just beside his ear and he felt its heat tickling the underside of his chin.

Everything stopped just for a fraction of a second as Ben's danger sense belatedly kicked into gear. The smile completely wiped off his face, he muttered several foul oaths to himself in his head as he performed a complex corkscrew to get out of range of the threatening blade. And that was only because his opponent let him. The way he'd been blindsided, he knew his severed head ought to have already been cooling for several seconds on the floor.

He had his own lightsaber out and angled to defend when it finally struck him as to who his challenger really was.  
Jedi Battlemaster Kyle Katarn was grinning wickedly at him through his neatly trimmed beard, gloating over the fact that he'd caught him absolutely off-guard, like a novice without a shred of Force sensitivity to protect himself.

Ben scowled, hunching over his stance, his focus completely on his engagement with the Battlemaster. The entire hall had come to a silent standstill, the padawans having gathered in a hushed group around Artoo, their helmets off, bolo-balls and training probes forgotten and de-activated, eyes wide at their Master's sudden encounter and eager to witness its outcome.

Kyle Katarn traced a slow circle around his quarry whose attentive eyes followed his every move, still smiling like a nexu waiting to pounce.

"Padawans, while Jedi Skywalker here has his own rather...innovative methods of introducing lightsaber combat, you will never really know what is at stake until you witness a real life-and-death duel before your very eyes."

He struck as he spoke, darting in as suddenly as a crystal snake. Several of the padawans gasped, and Leela's hands flew to her mouth. But his opponent was no longer a novice at lightsaber combat. Ben's lightsaber parried deftly, a thin stream of smoke rising from the sizzling point where the two met.

"To the death, Master?" Ben quipped through his grimace, having to exert his full weight in keeping off Katarn's attack.  
"I thought we were over such frivolities."

"A smart mouth may intimidate your poor Sith rivals, Skywalker, but you should know that less talk and a better defence is always more advisable against a seasoned Jedi Master."

The combatants lightsabers blurred in a rapid exchange of blows. Ben was pushed onto the back-foot, but defended himself well against the onslaught. Katarn leaned forward, pressing his attack. Ben bent backwards, his foot slipping against the floor...when he suddenly de-activated his blade and spun away. The battlemaster stumbled, cursing, and turned to find the young Jedi waiting for him, his trademark grin gracing his lips, his lightsaber raised and the advantage fully secured.

"You ought to know better by now than to fall for my old trick, Master," he teased, a twinkle in his eyes.

Katarn strode forward, his own saber still deactivated, ignoring the jibe. At the very last moment, he leapt into the attack, unleashing a lethal flurry. Ben responded in kind, their bodies moving in an eery almost choreographed fashion, through the movements of a deadly dance, their lightsabers flashing blue blurs, engaging much faster than the eye could follow. The group of younglings and Artoo watched in silence, all hearts in mouths. It truly looked like a battle where one of the combatants would end up cleaved in pieces on the floor!

Helmets and de-activated training probes lifted from where they had been left strewn around the floor and swarmed around the duellists, as both used the Force to direct them into distracting the other. As a result, most of them ended up as charred and smoking pieces of metal, falling in a deadly rain around the two. Katarn actually managed to catch Ben on the side of the jaw with a helmet, before it was shoved aside, the impact point immediately swelling into a mighty purplish bruise. Ben didn't bat an eyelid. He extended his palms and used the Force to push the Master into the far wall. Master Katarn connected with a loud clang, but was up on his feet and running back into battle an instant later. Ben used the Master's momentum to his own advantage, somersaulting over him as he was unable to control his forward career. He extended his hand towards his huddle of students, and Dusha's lightsaber flew out of the Wookiee's astonished grasp. Katarn realized what he was doing and copied the move. This time Aalya's lightsaber flew out of her grasp and into his. The combatants wove a cage of light around themselves as they battled in classical _Jar'Kai_fashion, each with a lightsaber in each hand, using the training sabers more as shotos than as full fledged blades. The young initiates took in the impressive skill in lightsaber combat being demonstrated before them, the two experienced Jedi whirling and leaping like beings possessed, grunting with effort and hissing as strikes singed limbs and hair and clothing, knowing all too well that a mistimed thrust could very well end in an unfortunate tragedy.

It ended when Ben leaped backwards over the Battlemaster, crossing his blades in a defensive position so he wouldn't be struck down in mid-air, but when he landed, he left his front exposed for a brief instant. It was all the opening the expert Battlemaster needed. Extending his right arm, he traced a slash down from the Jedi's shoulder to his hip, leaving a black scorch-mark on his robes and marking him as defeated. Had it been a real battle, Ben would have fallen apart in two pieces. His shoulders slumped as he retracted his blades and looked at the Jedi Master ruefully.

"Looks like you got me, Master," he admitted.

Kyle Katarn smiled, clapping a hand on the younger man's shoulder, but also showing signs of flagging strength and exhaustion.  
"Well fought, Jedi Skywalker. I see your style has changed a bit. You showed stellar examples of the way Anakin Skywalker was rumoured to have fought in his heyday."

Ben shied away from the praise.

Katarn addressed the gathered younglings.  
"I see you were impressed with what you saw just now, yes?"

Wordlessly their heads nodded firmly in the affirmative.

"Good. You should be. Because that's the level of skill you must aim for. Jedi Skywalker here, once couldn't even induce his own father into turning on a blade against him!-"

"Hey!" Ben interjected, indignantly, but the Battlemaster paid him no mind.

"- But as you can see, he has matured into one of our most accomplished duellists today. Although," here he looked over at the young Knight with an appraising glint in his eye, " one can never have enough practice."

"I keep in practice, Master," Ben growled, sulkily, rubbing his chafing arm.

Katarn nodded.  
"And one must be flexible. To become predictable in lightsaber combat is to lose half your advantage. It may even prove fatal."

He clapped his hands together finally.  
"Battle studies commences for you in the next course cycle. Till then listen to what your Master has to say about combat. I will not bother to repeat these basics for you all over again."

He looked over at Ben, a hint of pride entering his eyes.  
"Force knows he's had experience! He will teach you well."

And just as strikingly as he had made an entrance, with an imperious swirl of his robes, the Master was gone.


	10. Chapter 6: The Lessons Part IV

**Part IV- Good Deeds**

**The Caf Machine**

Jedi Master Leia Organa Solo, newly promoted to the rank alongside her daughter, descended the Temple staircase, her poise and majesty undimmed by age. She nodded at a couple of awe-struck apprentices who bowed and greeted her as they passed, on her way to the Temple cafeteria. She was feeling like a nice hot cup of caf.

A few apprentices and Jedi Knights sat around, idly chatting in their down-time. Some of them acknowledged her with slight smiles and nods, which she returned in kind. However, the sight at the caf counter made her stop short and frown. The old machine was gone and there was a spanking new model in its place.

A model she had no idea how to operate.

It had a small nozzle at the bottom to dispense caf, that much she was able to figure out at first glance. But the rest of the exterior was smooth, blank duraluminium. Where were the buttons for her customary preferences?

She poked around its surface and peered around its sides. As expected, nothing happened. With a sinking feeling, Leia realized this might just end up proving a tad bit embarrassing.

She stood back, her hands on her hips, wondering if this was a new Jedi test and one had to use the Force to command it to dispense caf or whether all it required was a good smackdown on the counter in trademark Han-style to get it to work, when a furry hand darted up from around the region of her waist and deftly placed a flimsiboard cup below the dispenser nozzle. Instantly the machine hummed and a glowing blue display lit up on its duraluminium exterior. Leia looked down in astonishment to find two golden eyes gleaming at her from a grinning little Bothan face which then piped up.

"Milk and sugar normal, Master?"

Leia gaped for a few seconds before replying,  
"Just... milk, thank you."

The Bothan padawan's fingers flew over the console's touchscreen controls with practiced ease and in a few seconds, the delightful aroma of strong caf reached Leia's nostrils. The padawan gingerly handed the full cup to her.

"Bless you, dear," Leia smiled.  
"What's your name?"

"Brinn," the girl replied cheerfully and skipped over to an empty bench and patted the place beside her for Leia to sit down.  
"I can keep you company, if you like, Master. I still have some time to kill before Master Ben starts with class."

Leia nearly stumbled and dropped her precious caf at the honorific referral to her nephew.  
"_Master _ Ben?!" she gasped, trying, but not entirely succeeding in hiding her amusement.  
"Oh he's far from being a Master yet!"

Brinn scrunched up her brow in confusion.  
"But we have to call him that. He teaches us."

Leia nodded in the affirmative.  
"Yes. I realize that. It's just... strange for me to hear him addressed that way. You know, I've known him from when he was just a thumb-sucking little red-haired parcel, being handed round from arm to arm!"

Leia stopped herself from the fond memories. It wouldn't do for her to be embarrassing him in front of one of his students.  
"So you're one of the Woodoos he's been teaching, huh? Do you enjoy his lessons?"

Brinn nodded enthusiastically and Leia's heart warmed with pride in her nephew at the positive response.  
"Oh yes! Master Ben's classes are the most fun! He's really nice to us and keeps making us laugh."

Brinn's large, expressive eyes danced as she said this.  
"Do you know, Master, Master Ben says that the best way to keep from the Dark Side of the Force is to constantly be reminded how good the Light Side makes you feel. He's told us we should all do something to make another being smile atleast once in a day. He says that the feeling you get from seeing that smile can make atleast a Sith Tyro evaporate! Poof!"

Leia couldn't help but laugh at Ben's expositions. It was typically him to come up with a story like that for the kids! Internally, though, she wondered if there might not be a kernel of wisdom even in such a simple lesson.

Brinn laughed along with her then jumped up from the bench. Leia discovered she was actually a little disappointed that their encounter had to end.

"Is it time? Do you have to go already?"

Brinn nodded.  
"You're my good deed for the day," she said.  
"I made you smile when I made the caf machine work. It's really not so hard. I could show you if you like."

Leia smiled ruefully at her own lack of adaptability to new-fangled gadgetry which these youngsters seemed born ready to handle, but nodded gratefully.  
"Thank you, dear. I'd really appreciate that."

* * *

**Rock Hard**

Jedi Master Zekk was beginning to lose his patience. Of course, had he not been deemed worthy of being promoted to Jedi Master a few years ago, he would have already lost it ten minutes ago. Therefore, the stream of foul oaths was emerging at a relatively muffled volume instead of distinctly audibly. The retractor assembly of the starboard ion cannon aboard his commissioned and subsequently modified _Miy'til _starfighter was jammed, and he couldn't for the life of him discover what was causing it.

"I know what that means, you know," a young, slightly cocky voice remarked, from just behind Zekk's right shoulder.

The Jedi Master turned slowly to find a very young padawan, one of the new ones at the Temple, regarding him archly.  
"Do you now?" he responded with a growl.  
"How come?"

The boy shrugged casually.  
"I used to live on the streets. I've heard... stuff."

"I'll bet. You an orphan?"

The boy nodded, not looking like he minded being asked.

"I'm sorry."

"You?"  
The boy was quick with the retorting question of his own.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."  
He didn't look like he was in the least. Zekk realized he was making a point. He grinned.

"Don't be. I'm over it."

The kid grinned back, though there was a trace of hardness in it that Zekk had often seen in street urchins, forced to grow up before their time.  
"Me too. Never knew 'em enough to miss 'em."

The Jedi Master nodded in sympathetic understanding.  
"Where you from?"

"Corellia."

"Figures."

"From my accent?"

"No. From the fact that you knew what those cusses meant."

The boy frowned.  
"Only Corellians know 'em?"

Zekk shook his head, grinning slightly again.  
"Nope. But most of them do!"

He looked the boy up and down. He seemed to be pretty scrawny for his age, maybe just beginning to regain his full figure with the help of a few square meals. His dirty brown hair seemed perpetually dishevelled and his eyes held that familiar hardness, making him look much older than he actually was.

"What's your name, padawan?"

"Iker Cama. Folks mostly call me Ike, though."

Zekk smiled welcomingly.  
"Pleased to meet you, Ike. I'm Jedi Master Zekk."

Ike screwed up his brows in confusion.  
"Are you one of the real Masters? Or one of the Knights who teach, who we're supposed to call 'Master', like Master Ben?"

Zekk almost laughed aloud.  
"Oh I'd say I've got a few years on young Ben! No, Ike, I'm the real deal."

But the boy still looked confused.  
"Then how come you're having trouble with that? I thought Jedi Masters could do _anything _!"

Zekk winced. _So much for pride_, he thought.  
"Just having a bit of trouble with my starboard laser cannon, kid," he sighed.  
"I'll figure it out sooner or later."

"Mind if I take a look?"

Zekk felt a faint stab of irritation at the youngling's brazen arrogance. What made him think he could solve a problem a seasoned Jedi Master and fighter pilot of so many years couldn't?! Still, he didn't want to seem discouraging, so he gave Ike a hesitant nod.

In an instant, the child had disappeared, wriggling beneath the starfighter's airframe and downswept wings. Zekk watched in surprise as there proceeded a series of childish grunts and squeaking and scraping from the ion cannon assembly. He was beginning to grow alarmed and was hoping the kid hadn't damaged anything crucial to the system (he doubted either the stuck-up Hapans, or his wife, Taryn, would be amused by the situation enough to commission him a new fighter if he damaged this one!) when a grease-blackened hand stuck out triumphantly from below the wing-arch holding a significantly large chunk of space rock fused with ice and metal.

"Came in hot last time?" the grinning smudged face of Iker Cama appeared, crawling out from below the fighter.

Zekk helped the boy out, staring at the lump of rock in his hand, and then remembered his last landing, on half an engine, thrusters rapidly losing power and his landing gear screeching along the hangar floor. Yep. He'd definitely come in hot!

The young boy was still grinning rakishly, tossing the piece of rock up and down in his hand, enjoying his success at the expense of a Jedi Master.

Zekk had to painfully swallow his pride.  
"Thank you for your aid, padawan. I don't believe I could have completed my repairs without you."

"Yeah," Ike smirked, "You're too big to get under there!"

At this, Zekk had to laugh and agree. He reached over to muss up the boy's already unruly hair in a gesture of affection.  
"Alright, alright, you win, I admit! But remember. Arrogance is of the Dark Side. So that'll be quite enough from you! Now go on, scram and get yourself cleaned up. You look a sight!"

"That's a'right," he said, suddenly a little child again, furiously scratching his nose and smudging it with the black on his fingers.  
"Master Ben says it's ok to get your hands dirty if you end up helping someone."

Zekk smiled warmly.  
"Does he now? That's a surprising nugget of wisdom coming from the young scamp! Maybe his father's finally beginning to rub off on him!"

Ike regarded him a little quizzically before nodding and taking his leave. But he called out over his shoulder on his way out of the hangar.  
"Sometimes it's ok to call for help for things you can't do yourself, Master. You don't have to do everything alone, you know."

Zekk stared at him.

"Oh and Master? Careful where you chuck that thing," Ike pointed to the rock still held in Zekk's hand.  
"Wouldn't want it to get stuck in someone's skull this time, would we?"

He gave him a parting smirk before he disappeared.

Zekk continued looking thoughtfully after the boy, rubbing the piece of rock-ice and metal between his fingers before finally stowing it away in a pocket in his robes.  
_Padawan to Master doesn't seem to take as long these days as it used to,_ he ruminated to himself.  
_I think I just learned a valuable lesson from a six-year old!_

* * *

**Magic**

Jagged Fel strode through the halls of the Jedi Temple, his eyes roving from side to side as he searched unsuccessfully for someone. Or someones.

He was here to pick up his sons after their schedule of training and lessons and was already displeased at having been kept waiting for fifteen minutes now without a sign of either of them. His father would never have tolerated such lax behaviour from any of his children, he was well-aware, but when it came to his own boys, Jag was often at a loss as to how to enforce strict discipline on them. The instant they would unanimously turn their large green eyes to look up beseechingly at him, he would find all his resolve at correction melting away and he would be left at a momentary loss for words. After which, the initiative would simply be gone and he would dismiss them with a sigh and a rebuke at best.

Jag frowned. Most of the Jedi were busy elsewhere with something or the other at this time of day, so the halls were relatively empty. He would have to ask someone...

A young boy with familiarly blue skin caught the corner of his eye, coming down the opposite end of the corridor. He looked to be about the age of his sons, perhaps he might know where they were.

"Uhh... hello?" he called out kindly.

The boy ignored him and walked by uncaringly.

Jag frowned and called out a little more commandingly this time.  
"Excuse me? Could you spare a minute?"

The boy stopped and turned, his face impassive in the manner characteristic of Chiss.  
" Are you calling for me, sir?" he enquired, politely enough.

Jag nodded and stepped forward.

"Well then, I suppose I could."

Jag decided he would be equally curt.  
"I'm looking for my sons, Davin and Cherian Fel. Would you happen to know where they might be?"

The boy's eyes widened for a brief instant, perhaps in recognition of the name 'Fel', but returned to his deadpan a second later.  
"I would."

Jag waited, a tad impatiently, fighting the urge to cross his arms and tap his foot in obvious irritation.  
"Would you mind telling me where they are?"

The boy gravely shook his head.  
"I would not."

Jag almost let out an exasaperated huff.  
"Well, where are they then?"

"With Master Ben."

Jag really badly wanted to hit the kid. He'd gotten out of the habit of dealing with annoyingly taciturn Chiss.

"And where exactly is Master Ben with them right now?" he enunciated slowly, framing his question more carefully this time.

"Well, I saw them heading toward the infirmary a few minutes ago. It appears Davin might have twisted his ankle."

Jag's head snapped up, his jaw clenching and his face turning momentarily pale.  
_Wait till I get hold of that Ben!_

He gave the boy a militaristic curt nod, which he acknowledged in kind and was heading off when Jag suddenly thought to ask.  
"What's your name, boy?"

"Ra'maxi'kilian."

"So... Max, right?"

Max nodded.

"Thank you, Max."

"Certainly, Head of State."

Jag approached the Temple medward at a run and almost barged into Master healer Tekli's infirmary.

"Daddy!"

Two surprised voices immediately cried out at his entrance. Ben, conversing in low tones with Tekli, off to one side, also turned and atleast had the decency to look a trifle guilty when he saw him.

Davin looked far calmer than Jag felt, sitting up on the high bunk, his left leg extended stiffly in front of him, devoid of sock and shoe, the region around the ankle already beginning to swell.

Jag was at his son's side in an instant.  
"What happened?!"

"Our little Jedi Knight here decided to be a little more flamboyant than most and attempted an ill-advised back-flip. He tripped badly over a wobble-ball in the Sparring Arena."

Ben came up to Jag, his eyes quietly apologetic.  
"I'm sorry, Jag. I should have been more watchful."

Jag sighed, rubbing his brow wearily.  
"Does Jaina know?"

"She's off-planet, but I left her a message."

Master Tekli approached, wearing a wide reassuring grin on her snub-nosed face.  
"I really can't perform the delicate procedures required to treat a sprained ankle in front of such a huge audience!" she squeaked.  
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask some of you to leave."

She fixed Jag with a very pointed stare.

"Of course. Non-Jedi out first, isn't that right?"

Davin's face had become a little drawn at this pronouncement. His courage was apparently prone to flagging when he wasn't allowed his support team. Ben noticed this.

"You wouldn't mind if I stayed on, would you, Master? Just for the moral support?"

Tekli looked at him for a second, then nodded.  
"Fine. But only you will be allowed to stay, Jedi Skywalker. The rest of you, out!"

The diminutive Chadra-Fan made a shoo-ing gesture with her hands.

Jag gripped his elder son's shoulder for a moment and flashed him an encouraging smile.  
"Be brave, son."

Then he took hold of Che's hand.  
"Come on, you. We'll wait for your brother outside, ok?"

Che seemed reluctant to leave, but confronted with his father, Tekli and Ben, was forced to obey. He reached out through their twin bond, lending his strength and courage to his brother. Ben felt it and smiled in approval.

Once Jag had made his exit, dragging his five-year old son behind him, Ben bent down to Dav's level.  
"How're we doin', buddy?"

Davin's eyes were fixated on his ankle, which Tekli had taken gently in her furry hands and was beginning to spray a pain reliever on. Ben could feel the tension in the little boy, bracing for it to hurt something fearful.

Ben casually positioned himself so that Davin's view of the rest of his foot was blocked. Dav squirmed, but Tekli snapped at him to keep still. Finally, his attention came to rest on his older cousin, leaning against the bunk, looking cool and unconcerned. Dav felt a sudden wave of anger flash through him. Wasn't Ben supposed to be the great older brother who was supposed to protect them from everything?! If he could have caught him when he fell, he wouldn't have had to make this trip to the sick room and have to endure this terrible torture! He could already feel it beginning to ache round his injured foot. It would only get worse, he assumed. Blast Ben! He'd been supposed to watch them, and he'd let them down!

And now here he was, standing beside him, grinning like a stupid monkey lizard!  
All of a sudden, Dav wanted to pummel him.

But Ben just wouldn't stop grinning, infuriating him still further.

"It hurts, you know!"  
It came out as a plaintive whine, which wasn't what poor Dav had intended at all.

Ben's grin widened still further, but he leaned forward conspiratorially.  
"I have a secret," he whispered.

Dav frowned, scrunching up his baby-smooth brows.  
"What secret?"

"I can make the pain vanish."

This time Dav's eyebrows shot straight up in undisguised astonishment.  
"How?"  
He couldn't stop the question from falling out of his mouth.

Ben's eyes twinkled mischievously. He reached into one of his belt pouches and drew out a fifty-credit coin, twisting it so it glinted in the medward's sterile bright light.

"Just like this."

And all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye, the coin was gone!

Davin gasped.  
"Wh-where'd it go, Ben?" he asked, his eyes like miniature green saucers.

Ben shrugged non-chalantly, seeming unusually flippant about losing fifty credits just like that.  
"Dunno. Maybe you took it. Why don't you check?"

"I did not!" Dav protested indignantly.  
"You saw! I didn't even touch-"

"Then what's this?"

Ben reached into Dav's right ear with a finger, almost making him wriggle and having Tekli snap at him again, and fished out the cred-coin, bright as day!

"Sheesh, kid. Don't you ever take a bath? Gotta be real dirty in there for you to be able hide things as big as this!"

Davin gawped, his jaw hanging loose. There was simply no way that coin could have come out of his ear, for space sake! Yet there it was, mocking him. His older cousin's eyes were laughing too, twinkling just as merrily as the spinning coin in his fingers.

"There. All done. Davin, you're as good as new," Tekli chirped up, from somewhere behind Ben.

And sure enough, the pain in his ankle was all gone! Like magic! He hadn't felt a thing!

Ben lifted him off the bunk and he gingerly tested the strength on his foot. Good as ever. He walked a few steps, skipped, even ran for a bit, almost colliding with his father and twin brother stepping in once more. He laughed in glee, turning around to face the two Jedi, both regarding him with indulgent smiles on their faces. Che whooped and Jag scooped Davin up onto his shoulders.

"That's my boy! I hope this serves as a lesson not to fool around during lightsaber practice, you two."

The last was delivered more seriously, Jag setting his elder son down beside his brother and wagging a stern finger at them both.  
"Or else next time, you'll be training with your mother! And let me tell you, she won't go as easy on you as Ben."

Ben nodded, coming up behind Jag.  
"Trust me, guys. Your dad knows!"

The twins both looked adequately chastened, standing scuffing their shoes on the medward floor. Jag gave them both a pat on their shoulders.

"You two go sit outside. I'll be out in a sec, ok? And then we can all go out for some ice-cream. How's that?"

The two boys erupted in whoops of delight once again and raced each other out the door.

Jag turned to the two Jedi, first thanking Tekli for her prompt and effective attention to his son, which the Jedi Master equally promptly waved off and then faced his brother-in-law. There was an odd sort of fondness in the older man's visage as he regarded him.

"I saw what you did in there just now, with the coin trick," he said quietly.

Ben's eyes were wide with innocence.  
"What trick?! That was true magic!"

Jag chuckled.  
"Yes, yes it was! You have magic in you, Ben. While I was only too busy worrying about my son, here you were, actually making him feel better and forget the pain. That is truly magic!"

He rested a warm hand on the young man's shoulder.  
"I'm no Jedi, you know, but I can foresee this much. You're going to make a wonderful father some day, Ben. You have a way with children...with people. I've seen it, as have many others. You instil confidence and hope where there is none. And that is the sign of a great leader. Maybe even a magician!"

Ben had turned scarlet from the praise.  
"Wasn't nothing," he mumbled awkwardly, suddenly as shy as a child himself.

"I shoulda never let him fall in the first place. It...was remiss of me."

Jag's eyes turned a shade sombre.  
"You won't be able to help that, Ben. Neither will I, no matter how much we might want to. They will fall, many times. Even get hurt. The only thing we can hope is to be there for them, to help them up and get them back on their feet afterwards."

Their gazes met and for a minute, neither of them spoke, but much was said between them. Jag patted him on the shoulder as he  
turned to leave.

"Thanks for the lesson, _Master_Ben! I don't think Jaina will be half as mad at you once I tell her what you've done for Dav!"

Ben responded with a grateful grin.

Tekli came up after he'd left, and drove a diminutive elbow into his ribs.

"Well-played, Skywalker. Put fifty credits to pretty good use there! Atleast kept Jaina off your back! Better be thankful for that! Good thing you chose to go with a magic trick instead of regaling the boy with one of your past experiences in this ward! The drama I've seen from you when you were as old as him!"

Tekli shook her head, smiling to herself, as she bustled around, packing up the bandages and salves.

"I swear I'd have made you scrub out the ward if he'd gotten sick over one of your more infamous blood-and-guts stories!"

Ben winced.

_**A/N: I realize my writing in this story is more episodic than most, but that's just the way I've envisioned this tale. This chapter was just to mark the passage of time and chart Ben's growth and development as a teacher during it. Next chapter onwards, the story picks up on its plotline. Hope you've all bee enjoying! Love reading what you think so keep dropping in the reviews!**_


	11. Chapter 7- The Baby-Sitting

_**A/N: Sorry about the length of this chapter, but it's guaranteed to melt you. More over the weekend!**_

"And...you have our comm codes, right?"

Ben looked up from where he was lounging on the Fels living room couch, a few days later, texting on his datapad, incredulously.

"What's the matter with you? It's not like this is the first time I'm baby-sitting these two. I do it like once every other week!"

The twins, too, sipping blue milk through straws, sitting a little too much like the good little boys they evidently weren't, regarded their mother with surprise.

Jaina looked from Ben to her sons, and then back again, oddly agitated. Jag came up from behind and gently slipped an arm around her.

"Come on, sweetheart. We're going to be late. They'll manage without us just fine. They always have."

Ben made a shoo-ing motion with his free hand.  
"Yeah. Go on, you two. Get out and live a little!"

Jag raised an amused eyebrow.  
"At an Imperial State dinner?! Now I know why you'd rather mind the kids than attend one yourself!"

Ben flashed him a Solo-esque lop-sided grin, tapping the side of his head.  
"It's common-sense, Fel old chap. I claim to know what's best for my blood-pressure!"

Jag rolled his eyes and pressed against his wife's back, motioning for her to precede him out.

"Stay out of trouble," he warned, wagging his finger at all three equally.

Ben looked hurt.

* * *

Jaina couldn't stop fidgeting with her clutch-purse and handkerchief all the way to the Head of State's personal speeder. Jag regarded her curiously.

"I've never seen you so nervous before, leaving the boys with Ben. Jaina, is there something you're not telling me?"

Jaina lifted her large, expressive hazel eyes to meet his cool green ones.  
"No...It's just...I have a feeling about tonight, that's all."

Jag frowned, suddenly alert.  
"A feeling? What kind? Good or bad?"

Jaina bit her lip, glancing down.  
"That's just it, Jag. I-I can't tell. It's just a feeling."

* * *

Their milk finished, Davin and Che sidled up to their elder cousin on the couch, still texting, still not paying them the least bit of attention. The HoloNet was on with a speeder race running live, but none of the boys seemed interested.

"Hey, Ben?"

"Mmmm?"

"Mom said she's gonna put us in your class at the Temple from next week."

"Mmmmm."

"She said you're gonna make us sing."

Che made a face of disgust, but didn't see a hand come snaking up behind him and twist his ear firmly. Instantly, his face twisted in agony and he let out a pained yowl.  
Ben still hadn't so much as glanced up from his datapad.

"There. That'll teach you to make fun of the arts."

Che scowled.

Davin had so far been sitting remarkably placidly, bouncing his feet off the edge of the couch.

"Do you have a girlfriend we don't know about?" he asked suddenly.

That got Ben's attention. He looked up, both auburn eyebrows raised sky-high.  
_"What?!"_

"Who're you texting so much if you don't?"

Ben grinned sneakily.  
"Oh this? I have a plan."

* * *

Ben paused the music.

"No Che. You're too stiff. Loosen up. It's gotta flow naturally."

He stood.  
"Watch."

He ran through the short sequence of steps, ending with a graceful spin that made him land squarely on two feet with the attitude of a rockstar.

Che tried a poor imitation, but nearly tripped on the last twirl.

Dav tried to stifle a snort of laughter. Ben frowned at him while his twin brother glared.

"That was a great try, Che. You're this close to getting it right. All you need is practice."

"Can you teach us to do this, Ben?"

Dav pointed at Ben's datapad, then reached over to replay the last few seconds of a video clip they were practising to.

Ben's eyebrows shot up at the particular step his little cousin was indicating.  
He chewed his lip, contemplating. It would be impressive if they could pull it off, but it was equally likely his sister would kill him for teaching it to her kids while they were this young.  
Ben weighed the odds and figured it was a risk worth taking.

"Ok."

He stood up, loosening his neck and then showed his cousins the initial pose they should assume, monitoring the two of them positioned on his either side.

"Now first watch me, and then I'll break it down for you."

He started the music, matching the dancer onscreen, step for step, ending with the same magical pivot, but this time, he ended up thrusting his pelvis forward, stopping just barely on his toes.

Immediately, the twins tried to copy his movements, barely managed half of them, and he had to act fast to catch them both before they fell and hurt themselves. The three collapsed in fits of hysterical laughter.

"Ok ok." Ben raised a palm, wiping his streaming eyes with the other.  
"We'll take it from the top. We're going to learn each step separately, and then string them together, ok?"

The boys nodded, smiles wide with glee.

* * *

The apartment was so quiet when Jag had keyed in the entrance code, and they had stepped in, that Jaina's heart instantly skipped a beat. Even her husband frowned.  
"Something doesn't feel right about this..." he started to say.

Jaina stretched out her Force senses, gently seeking out her sons' Force signatures. She felt three very jumbled, very muted Force presences in one of the upstairs bedrooms. She bounded up the stairs in a few steps, Jag close on her heels, then stopped short at the door.

It was dark inside, except for the lights of passing traffic flickering in through the partially draped windows. Suddenly, she felt her eyes grow unreasonably moist. Jag came up behind her and laid a hand softly on her shoulder. She could feel his presence grow warm as well.

There, in front of them, sprawled out on one of the twins' beds were three figures, one far too tall to fit within its too-small confines, the other two curled up in awkward positions on either side of him, all three fast asleep with looks of the most peaceful innocence on their faces.

Jaina leaned back in relief against her husband's strong chest.  
"Aunt Mara used to say he looked like Uncle Luke when he slept. Now I see why," she whispered.

"Think it was a good feeling you were having back then, Goddess?" Jag whispered back, smiling into her hair.

Jaina's smile spread across her face till it reached her dazzlingly bright eyes and slowly she nodded.  
"Yeah...I guess I'll have to say it was."


	12. Chapter 8- The Celebration Part I

**Prophecy**

The unmarked Hapan cruiser slid into a landing in a private hangar on the west side of Galactic City. A slim figure stood by to receive it, hidden in dark robes, hood drawn over its head. It moved forward as the landing ramp extended with a hiss and four armed Hapan guards marched down to flank it and serve as its escort into the interior of the ship. The figure seemed barely to register their presence as it made its way confidently into and through the ship and onto its main deck.

Hapan Queen Mother, Tenel Ka Djo turned from the interior viewport as her daughter entered. Wearing a fashionable jumpsuit instead of her traditional royal gown, but bearing herself with characteristic regal hauteur, her face had only recently begun to show the lines of advancing maturity and mere hints of silver entwined within the dark red tresses of her hair. Hapan _Chume'da _Allana Djo Solo threw off her deep cowl as she entered her mother's presence and with the flash of a bright, beaming grin, rushed into her outstretched arms.

"Allana..."

"Mother..."

Mother and daughter embraced for what seemed like an age before separating. Then Allana nodded around with a smile at her mother's faithful bodyguards and cousins, the twins, Trysta and Taryn Zel.

"It is good to see you well, Allana," Trysta smiled back.

"As it is to see you," the _Chume'da _acknowledged.

The Queen Mother cupped her face in her hand, looking deep into Allana's grey eyes, identical to her own.

"I have missed you, my darling. Come, we have things to discuss."

Allana let out a breath, half weary, half in jest.  
"We always do, Mother."

The conference was held privately between the Queen Mother and her daughter, and proved to be difficult for both.

"But Mother! I want to continue at the Temple!"

Tenel Ka's eyes clouded with concern.  
"I would love for you to, my dear. But I worry that you are still so untrained in the realm of politics."

Allana fumed silently.  
"I spend months on Hapes playing _Chume'da_, Mother-"

"That's just it! You can no longer afford to simply 'play' at being _Chume'da_! You _**are**__ Chume'da_; my heir. It is time you learned to accept the role and assume the responsibilities that come along with it."

Allana looked at her mother in dismay.  
"Mother, Grand Master Skywalker feels I'm ready to give the Trials! I can be a Jedi Knight!"

"I am pleased to hear that, Allana. I will not stop you from giving the Trials. But after that, I expect you to relocate to Hapes. Permanenty."

Allana's mouth fell open in shock.  
"Per-permanently?! But-but what about Grandma and Grandpa?! They'll be devastated!"

"They have always known this day was coming, Allana. Ever since they took custody of you. I doubt they will be surprised. Besides, they will always have a place of welcome in the court whenever they want to visit, and may stay for as long as they wish."

Allana chewed her lip, her heart sinking as her mother deftly countered all her opposition. Truth be told, she too had known this day was coming, and in her heart of hearts had always dreaded it.

Very few people knew about the prophecy of the Jedi Queen that was supposed to centre around her, and it was a prophecy that frightened her. She wanted to rule over a realm at peace, see an end to war in the galaxy. But it seemed she was fated to be a rallying point for dwindling Jedi forces in the face of ever-increasing darkness. She hated seeing all the people she cared about putting their lives in danger, but visions seen by some of her relatives had only continued to predict that for her future.

Tenel Ka watched her steadily, as if she could sense what must be going through the young princess's mind.  
"It's not an easy choice to make, my sweet," she sighed. "I know that. I once faced the same dilemma you do now. But Allana, believe me when I tell you this. If you relinquish the role you were born to fulfill, you will never find true peace in your heart. Because you will always hold yourself responsible for whatever happens in your stead. Only you can shoulder the burden of your duty, my dear. It is what you were meant to do. I wish I could ease some of it for you, but I'm not sure how much I can. You will always have those around who truly love you and are loyal to you. You will never lack for guidance. Do not be afraid, my child. And do not doubt that I will always be there to watch over you."

Allana looked up to see a light sheen of tears in her mother's eyes and for the first time, realized how much it truly cost her to allow her to face her destiny. Despite the lump growing in her throat, she came forward and knelt before the Queen, taking her hands in hers and looking into her eyes.

"I will come with you, Mother. I shall always do my best never to fail you, our people, or our realm. And I shall always strive to live by the ideals of the Jedi Order, as my Masters have taught me."

Tenel Ka beamed with pride, her heart filling at the quiet but resolute strength she sensed in her daughter. She always reminded her so much of her father whenever she looked this determined.

_The Jacen I fell in love with, not the Jacen who tried to destroy everything we once fought for..._

She took hold of Allana's shoulders, lifting her to her feet.  
"You will be the one they will turn to in the darkness. And you will be the one to keep it at bay with the strength and power of your love. I see greatness in you, my daughter. A greatness never before to ascend the Hapan throne."

Allana nodded and looked away, her eyes dimming as she stared across what she could see of Coruscant through the truncated view of the viewports.

"You will miss them, your grandparents."

Tenel Ka followed her daughter's gaze outwards.

" Yes. And Ben. And Jaina and Jag and the twins..."

She clamped down hard on a sob threatening to rise in her throat and turned back to her mother with a shaky smile.

"You'll stay for a few days?"

"Oh yes. Till the end of the Fete Week. It has been years since we spent this one together, has it not?"

Allana smiled and took her mother's hand, leading her out of the ship and towards the waiting hovercar waiting to carry them to their official quarters on the galactic capital. And though her mother walked with poise and grace as always, with a sinking heart Allana recognized her own fate embodied in her.

_To rule is to be alone..._

* * *

A light breeze ruffled Luke Skywalker's grey hair as he leaned against the rooftop parapet, soaking in the nighttime view of the great city of Coruscant. A warm feeling growing within him told him of the quiet approach of his son. He came up, leaning against the parapet himself, soaking in a sight he never tired of, an unconsciously fond smile tugging the corner of his lips.

"Something told me I'd find you up here."

His father raised an eyebrow in amusement.  
"The Force?"

Ben turned slightly, his look a little reproachful.  
"I'm your son, Dad. I don't always need the Force to find you."'

Luke nodded in agreement.  
"You've gotten to know me well."

"About time! I've been living with you for the last twenty-five years!"  
He winced.  
"I really should look to move out!"

"I'd miss you."  
Luke's voice was soft enough to startle Ben.

"Aw, c'mon. You know I'm only jokin', Dad."

Luke shook his head.  
"I see little enough of you as it is. You've gotten busy these days."

Ben shrugged.  
"I'm in and around the Temple, Dad, whenever I'm on-planet. I'm never too far away."

Luke smiled wistfully.  
"I'm sorry, Ben. I guess it's just the age talking. But sometimes even that isn't enough."

Instantly, a stab of worry flickered in Ben's eyes.  
"Dad? Is-is there something wrong? Are you feeling alright? "

"I'm fine, son. You needn't worry."

"Yes I should! Dad, promise me you'll tell me if there's ever anything wrong. You will, won't you?"

Luke could sense the slow panic building within his son and he reached out in the Force to try and reassure him.  
"You'll know," he acknowledged, but felt that it did nothing to ease the younger man's concern. He tried changing the topic.  
"So how have the classes been going with the Woodoos?"

Ben turned back to the cityscape, shrugging lightly.  
"You tell me."

"I've been hearing good things about you."

This time Ben looked surprised.  
"You have? Who from?"

Luke regarded him askance.  
"You weren't expecting this? How come?"

Ben looked a trifle uncomfortable.  
"Well... I've never exactly followed the textbook, have I?"

"Neither have I expected you to. Even with this."

"And you were willing to gamble...on the Woodoos?"  
Ben was genuinely perplexed.  
"Why, Dad?"

Luke sighed.  
"Because I need to think about the future, Ben. Not just yours, but the Order's as well."

Again the familiar stab of worry.

This time Luke injected a touch of irritation into his voice.  
"I'm not going to fall down dead every time I start talking about the future, Ben."

The young man looked away and Luke could feel a wave of frustration welling in him. He reached out to touch him gently on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I- I didn't mean it that way... Look, son, you have to realize that one day you will have to take on a great deal of responsibility and that day is only drawing nearer. I don't want to leave you under-prepared. But I do need to know exactly how much I can entrust to you, how much you'd even be willing to take on."

"I have a choice in the matter?"

Luke gave him a small smile.  
"You always have a choice, son. But you must be careful while making that choice. Because once you make it, you also accept all the responsibility that comes along with it."

Ben nodded.  
"Yeah. I know."

Luke studied the figure beside him. Ben's face now had a very adult set to it that still surprised him on occasion.  
"You're happier these days, Ben. I've noticed. Happier than I've seen you in... years."

A faint shadow flitted across the young man's face, and he ducked his head to hide his sudden discomfiture.  
Luke knew only too well what had caused it.

Ben had been denied his true love, Myri Antilles, younger daughter of Wedge Antilles, six years ago. Her father had stepped in between the young lovers and split them up. He hadn't approved of Ben as a match for his daughter. Ben had not seen or heard from her since, neither had he made any attempt to love again. But Luke knew, as not many others did, that there hadn't been a day since when he had not thought about her or yearned for her. But he had not let it come in the way of his committment to the Jedi Order and Luke was so proud of him for his fortitude. His heartbreak had been severe, and Luke had ached for his son's pain. But there was nothing he could have done about it. It had been between his son and the Antilles family, and it had not been his place to interfere.

Luke wrapped a warm arm around Ben's hunched muscular shoulders and received a shaky smile in response.

"I am, Dad. I think I'm actually enjoying teaching the younglings. It's turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected."

Luke beamed at him, making no effort to hide the immense pride he felt at his son's words. Ben smiled back.

"You were right, you know, Dad. I think I've been learning a lot myself while teaching them. Like when I think about how to explain certain things about the Force to them, I find myself discovering a new way of looking at the same thing. Something I had never thought of before!"

Ben didn't realize he had an excited sparkle in his eyes when he said this which made his father's heart fill very nearly to bursting. He had to reach up to dash away a tear, which his son noticed. He flushed and looked away, suddenly shy.

"I never really thought of myself as a teacher, Dad. Or a Master, really. Even with 'Lana."

His voice was gruff, the way it always was when he was trying to control his emotions.  
"With her, I always thought I was just showing her the ropes, you know. Like a big brother would. But with these kids, yeah, I think I do have answers for them. And I would like to help them grow and discover the Force and become great Jedi..." he looked away again, far beyond even Coruscant's unending horizon.

"Kinda like Jacen tried to do with me."

His voice was terribly soft.  
"Just maybe get it right this time."

Luke waited for a heartbeat, then resting his hand on his shoulder turned him back towards the exit.  
"Ben, I have every confidence in you that you will get it right. Maybe more than that. You have a talent for mentoring the young ones. I have been seeing it in you again and again. First, Allana, then this batch of Woodoos, and..."

Luke turned to his son with an odd smirk on his lips.  
"I hear Jaina's entrusted you with the continuing education of her sons. That's no mean feat!"

Ben grinned.  
"Those two need to be kept in class by the scruffs of their necks! They've got their mum's abilities but absolutely none of poor ol' Jag's discipline!"

Luke rolled his eyes.  
"Takes one to know one, eh? I remember when you used to have a similar effect on the Masters at the Temple. It wasn't quite as far as back as you'd like to make it out to be!"

Ben rubbed the back of his neck, caught out by his father.  
"Guess I was pretty much of a handful, wasn't I?"

"I might say you still are!"

Ben frowned in indignation.  
"I clean up after myself now and put myself to bed. You have nothing left to complain about!" he pointed out sternly.

Luke grinned at him affectionately and reached out to ruffle his hair.

"Stop it! Dad!"

Ben glared at him with an expression that so reminded Luke of him pouting as a small child that he wanted to burst out into laughter.

"Are you trying to push through an early promotion to Jedi Master with me here, young man?"

Ben mock-sighed.  
"See? That's the trouble with having a dad who's also your boss. Every comment is taken as a sales pitch."

This time Luke did laugh.  
"Tell you what. I know you're going to miss Allana when she's gone. You continue teaching at the Temple whenever you're able, and once the twins grow up a bit more, I'll make you Che's Jedi Master. Jaina will probably want Davin under her own wing as he's to be Jag's successor, but I think you and Che are more in tune with each other."

Ben's eyes had grown as round as smashballs and his mouth was hanging open.  
"Whoa! Dad- Are you sure you want to do this?"

Luke nodded.  
"Quite sure. As you said, those two require firm hands dealing with them, and right now I can't think of anyone more capable than you and Jaina."

Ben couldn't believe his ears. This was the highest level of praise he knew to expect from his father, and it touched him beyond words to know that he had more confidence in him than he had in himself.

He bowed his head before the Grand Master, overwhelmed, his voice trembling with barely concealed emotion.  
"I am humbled by your faith in me, Grand Master. I will not let you down. I promise."

Luke raised his chin to face him.  
"I know, my son. You will become a great Jedi Master one day, as strong as your grandfather and as wise as the man for whom you were named. I once thought we had lost our best hope for the future with young Anakin Solo. But I was wrong. It was lying in front of me in my own son all along. I was just too afraid to see it."

He shook his aging head.

"But that would be doing a great wrong to you, Ben. It's often been hard for me to see you growing up, but I cannot deny you your destiny. You will be called upon to lead the Jedi Order one day. I know you feel burdened sometimes by your name and...my reputation, but I can tell you this, my son, you won't have to worry. Follow your heart and the guidance of the Force and you will be a greater man, a greater Jedi and a greater leader than I could ever have hoped to be. I have foreseen it."

Ben absorbed the prophecy his father spoke, then slowly nodded. He didn't feel quite so scared anymore, rather he felt ready to take on the mantle of responsibility for the future. He straightened himself, squaring his shoulders and standing tall.

"I will, Dad. I will make you proud. And I won't let the light of the Jedi Order fade after you. I will finish what you have started. You have my word."

Luke looked deep into his eyes, seeing, with a curious ache in his heart, once and for all, the hero his son was fated to be.  
"Then the future is assured," he murmured softly.

_**[A/N: This chapter will be divided into three parts. I realize the tone of this part was heavier than what's come before, but comedy continues in the next. Stay tuned!]**_


	13. Chapter 8: The Celebration- Part II

** Preparation**

It was a week till the New Year's Fete Week was to begin, and the holiday season had already gotten well underway and infected almost everyone with a barely suppressed excitement.

But the real surprise came at the end of the Woodoo Clan's class one day, when little Aalya shyly approached her Master.  
"Master Ben?" she queried, hesitantly.

Ben was just packing up his datapads and equipment, Dav and Che, his two latest additions, lounging close by. He turned with his easy smile.  
"Yes, Aalya? Do you want to speak to me about something?"

She nodded, blushing a little.  
"Well, go right ahead! Would you prefer these two scamps out of your way?" he asked, hooking a thumb towards his cousins.

Aalya cast them a nervous glance, but shook her head. No.

"Alright then. What's on your mind, padawan?"

"Master... well, it's just that Fete Week is coming, and... and I was wonderin'... couldn't we maybe... do something to...celebrate?"  
Her face was a bright pink by the time she finished, and she was nervously fidgeting with the hem of her robes.

Ben leaned forward, something stirring in surprise in the depths of his eyes.  
"Do you have anything particular in mind, Aalya?" he asked softly.

She flashed him a glance.  
"I-I mean, I wasn't, uh... sure if we were, umm... allowed to celebrate Fete Week... as Jedi, I mean..."

Ben placed his hands gently on her shoulders, trying to establish eye-contact and lend her confidence to speak her mind.  
"There's nothing that disallows us from celebrating Fete Week, either, Aalya. In my family, we always have."

"Yeah!" Che piped up from behind them. Apparently the twins had been listening too.  
"We always get presents! And this year, I'm getting my own speeder-bike!"

"_Toy _ bike," Ben corrected firmly, then turned to the Devaronian girl once more.  
"Well?" he encouraged.

"Ummm... actually, in my home-town, all the kids of the school there would get together and-and they'd put on a show and-and it would be awesome and...I'd kinda always hoped one day when I went there that I'd get to be in that show but then I came here instead...so..."

Ben had to almost keep himself from trembling in his excitement. He could see the twins out of the corner of his eyes, trying to catch his attention. He sent them a faint nudge to remain patient.

"You want to put on a show then, Aalya? With the class? Is that what you're saying?"

Poor Aalya bit her lip, afraid she'd gone too far in suggesting this.  
"You... you taught us that song, Master," she mumbled, desperately, "That was fun! And you can sing so well, so-so... couldn't you maybe... teach us something...?"

Ben didn't speak for a minute, his thoughts in complete turmoil. Aalya had completely lost her composure now, and was openly wringing her hands, believing she had surely incurred some sort of grievous punishment in even mentioning the notion of such frivolities in the staid and sombre Jedi Temple!

Finally, Ben spoke, a glint forming in his eyes which his friends and family knew indicated that he was up to _something_.

"Yes... yes..."

He sprang to his feet. His excitement unable to be contained any longer, his mind churning out unending possibilities.

"Aalya, you're a genius! Kid, that's an absolutely fantastic idea! And you know what? We're going to do it! Yes we are! But not in the Temple. I've got a better idea!"

He cast a glance towards his cousins. They were jumping themselves, stuffing their fists in their mouths to keep from whooping in glee.

"Kid, you think the rest of the class might be up for this?"

Aalya considered for a moment, unable to fathom the sudden excitement emanating from her Master and two newest classmates.  
"I-I think so, Master... I could speak to them, if you like..."

"Perfect. D'you know what this means, Aalya?"

His eyes were sparkling like stars now. Aalya shook her head in confusion. Ben gave her a lop-sided grin.

"This Fete Day is gonna be absolutely lubed!"

* * *

The three cousins huddled together after Aalya had finally scampered off.

"But Ben! I thought it was going to be just us!"

"So? The more the merrier, that's what I say!"

"So you're going to coach _all _ of us?"

Ben chewed his lip in thought, debating. Coaching ten kids of varying levels of agility in dancing... It wasn't going to be easy.

"Guys, think about it! If we can actually pull it off, think how astral it would be!"

He was literally pleading with them. The twins exchanged a look between them then looked  
back at their elder cousin. Davin gave a melodramatic sigh.  
"Ok fine. We'll help you. But you know our price."

Ben grinned.  
"I promise."

* * *

Jaina stared at the invitation which had just flashed up onto her datapad.  
It had been childishly hand-designed and flashed in a myriad garish colours, proudly inviting her to attend the fund-raising gala at the Galactic City Central Home for War-Orphans to be held on the occasion of the New Year Fete Day.

Davin and Cherian bounced over the top of the sofa on either side of her, excitedly.  
"You and dad're gonna come for this, right?" they asked expectantly.

"Oh honey..."

Two identically cherubic faces in front of her fell simultaneously upon hearing that tone in her voice. Jaina's heart plummetted. She hated doing this to her kids, but New Year's Fete Day was the day the Imperial Remnant would be hosting the traditional New Year's banquet where all the rulers and governmental heads of the systems allied to the Remnant would be invited. It was an awfully prestigious diplomatic do. In a crunch, she could very possibly wangle her way out of accompanying Jag to the thing, but there would be no way the Head of State would be able to get himself excused! Oh dear.

"I'll definitely be coming, darlings. I promise you that."

" But...Daddy...?"

The quiet heartfelt disappointment in their tones almost broke Jaina's heart. She knew Jag would have submitted his resignation that very instant if he had been there to hear it. Which was why she knew she had to be the stronger one. For all their sakes.

"Daddy will try his best to be there, you know he will. But this will be on the night of the Imperial New Year's banquet! And you know Daddy has to be there for that."

Crestfallen, the twins slowly nodded. They didn't like it one bit, but they understood. It was what always happened to the sons of the Head of State.

_Jag's going to hate me for this_, Jaina thought, gathering her sons into her arms and planting soothing kisses on their heads as they clung to her.  
_But it's still his duty..._

* * *

"I can't believe we hadn't seen it before!"

Valin Horn dragged his bemused friend toward their jam room in the Jedi Temple, wearing a ridiculous grin on his face.

"He's got some talent! And he can be the perfect replacement for you!"

"Gee thanks, Horn," Ben Skywalker muttered, reluctantly allowing himself to be led onwards.  
"Nice to know I'm so easily dispensable!"

Valin tossed him a hurt look.  
"C'mon, man. Even you can't sing, dance and play the drums at the same time!"

"I believe we were managing just fine so far," Ben's grumbling was growing half-hearted as his curiosity piqued regarding the band's newest recruit.

Walking into the jam room a young man about his own age rose to meet them, shaking the shaggy black hair out of his eyes and coming to meet them with a huge grin adorning his otherwise unremarkable face.

"Geffer?!"  
Ben thumped Jedi Knight Bandy Geffer roundly on the back as the two excitedly embraced.  
"All this time it was Bandy Geffer?!"

Valin shook his head, grinning.  
"Told ya. He was right in front of us the whole time!"

"Yeah... Which rock were you hiding under?"

"I was posted in the Outer Rim for a while, accompanying Master Ramis and Seha. Don't get much drumming practice out there!" Bandy explained.

"Says who?!" the other two cried out in protest.

"The cantina bands along the Outer Rim are legendary!"

"Yeah. I think I've lost count of the number of times we've sung for free drinks!"

Bandy Geffer rolled his eyes.

* * *

Imperial Head of State Jagged Fel was beginning to believe he had acquired the astonishing ability of being able to make people who droned on in front of him fade away. Either that, or his eyes were close to becoming permanently unfocussed.  
His dutiful and extremely competent Chiss aide, Kthira'shi'ktarloo, more commonly called by his core name, Ashik, was expounding on the security arrangements for the Imperial New Year's Banquet he was supposed to be hosting in a few days time. Ashik floated a detailed holographic plan of the State ballroom where the dinner would be held above a projector table, and was indicating the arrangements with a laser pointer. He pointed to hidden exits and retracted laser cannons, effectively concealed behind innocent looking wall-panelling and ran through drills and evac procedures. Jag felt his eyelids slowly begin to droop...

"Sir!"

Jag sat up with a jolt, unaware that he had dozed off. Ashik's red Chiss eyes held an appreciably stern look at such tardiness.

"Sir, I'm running through these primarily for your own safety and protection. It would help if I could atleast have your attention."

Jag sighed and kneaded the bridge of his nose. He personally felt he would have the best security in simply having his wife, a Jedi Master, close at hand, but he couldn't possibly mention that to his faithful assistant.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry, Ashik. Continue."

"Yes well," Ashik seemed a bit miffed that his carefully planned presentation had so far failed to elicit the sort of response he had been expecting.  
"We will be doing a thorough scan for weapons, both displayed and concealed, among the guests. No firearms, projectile launchers, harmful intoxicants or pets will be allowed to be brought in by any of the guests or staff, naturally. There will also be a full retinue of surveillance officers deployed at all times. As we have seen before, no precaution is too much against the Moffs constantly plotting against your life."

Jag nodded at his assistant gratefully. It was hard to find such loyalty these days. Ashik's datapad emitted a discreet beep and he drew it out to read a new message.

"Sir, Moff Mundae has just sent in his confirmation of attendance at the banquet."

Jag audibly groaned and even Ashik's normally impassive face seemed to hold a flicker of sympathy. Out of the few carefully selected Moffs appointed by Jag since the conclusion of the Abeloth crisis, Moff Rey Mundae had turned out to be the most excruciatingly boring. Oh, he was competent enough, especially in running the small Antemeridian sector previously allocated to Moff Tol Getelles, but Jag often found it hard to keep his eyes open while talking to him. Small wonder, then, that he had very quickly earned himself the nickname, "Moff Mundane"!

Ashik was continuing with his security brief.  
"I have requested Karn Valanti and Lina Zev to be on stand-by as well, to act as your and Master Solo-Fel's decoys, should the need arise."

_Body-doubles,_ thought Jag, _Pity I can't have him just stand in for me for the whole thing!_

All of a sudden he felt himself wishing he could spend this New Year's simply with his family for once.  
_That would be nice_, he reflected wistfully.

Ashik seemed to finally be done. Jag rose from his seat and stretched.

"Thank you for the brief, Ashik. I appreciated it, I really did."

His aide nodded in thanks.

Jag regarded his stiff figure as he collected up his datapads and equipment and prepared to leave.  
"Say, Ashik? You wouldn't be interested in taking my job, would you?"

The startled Chiss almost dropped his carefully collected files as his red eyes widened in frank astonishment?  
"S-Sir?" he stammered, "I-I... what?"

Jag grinned.  
"Just asking. I'd let you have it, you know. Sometimes I feel old enough to want to fade into a quiet retirement."

"But, sir! You're hardly old enough to even be _thinking _ about retirement!"

Jag collected up his own things and came around from behind his desk.  
"And already I'm sick of this job! Ah, it's nothing. Forget it. It's just that sometimes I wish I could simply go home or take a vacation and not have to worry about the Empire caving in around my ears while I'm away."


	14. Chapter 8: The Celebration Part III

**_[A/N: Here it is, folks. The scintillating climax!]_**

** Celebration**

In a drab disguise concealing some of her more remarkable features, _Chume'da _ and Jedi apprentice, Allana Djo Solo had to push her way laboriously through the huge throng gathering in the large open area in front of the Galactic City Central Home for War-Orphans. Had she been displaying her true identity, she would have been surrounded by armed escorts and afforded a wide passage even through such an unruly crowd. But she preferred it much better this way. Atleast her freedom of movement remained unhindered. Or what remained of her freedom. She knew that the moment she returned to Hapes, she would be imprisoned behind veritable walls of security and protocol. She was determined to make the most of what was left of Fete Week while she could. Walking across towards the giant colourful stage set up at the far end, she smirked to herself. She hadn't figured that the Shooting Stars Younglings Band would be able to draw quite such a sizeable crowd! Obviously her cousin's fame preceded him!

She found Ben, dressed in a ludicrous bright yellow suit and hat, pacifying a few last minute nerves.  
"It_ feels _ stupid, Master!" Jennet the Miraluka whined, as her brother, Xavie, stood by, looking equally disgruntled. She tugged at the hem of her frilly skirt.  
"Why do we hafta do this dance thingy? And why do we hafta wear.._.this_?!"

Allana stifled a laugh as she spotted her younger cousins strutting around nearby, dressed in shiny black leather jackets, their hair spiked into impressive mohawks with copious amounts of hair gel. She badly wanted to ruffle them into disarray, but was afraid of the co-ordinated attack that would follow!

"Well, sometimes, it doesn't hurt to not take ourselves so seriously, Jennet. And we're here for a cause. A cause higher than ourselves and our petty concerns. As Jedi, we ought to be committed to causes like these, don't you think?"

Jennet bit her lip, obviously agreeing with her Master on this point, but still uncomfortable in her dress.

"Jennet, would it help if I told you how beautiful you look in that dress?" Allana stepped in to help out her cousin.

The little Miraluka girl raised her visored eyes to her, but said nothing.

_Every little girl loves playing princess,_ Allana thought to herself. _Of course, when you're born one, it's more fun playing something like pirate-smuggler!_  
"You look just like a princess, you know that?"

"Have you ever seen a princess?" Jennet asked her, "How do you know what they look like?"

Allana smiled and knelt beside the girl.  
"Well... if you'll promise not to tell, I can let you in on a little secret."  
She cupped her hand around the girl's ear and mock-whispered into it.  
"I _am _ a princess. And when I dress up all nice and pretty, people tell me I look beautiful. I think that's how _you _ look today."

Little Jennet's face was a study in surprise.  
_"Really?_" she gasped out, ""You're not joking?"

Allana solemnly shook her head.  
"Nope. Go on, does it feel like I'm joking?"

Jennet shook her head slowly and Allana could feel the hesitant brush of her Force presence reaching out to her own.  
The Miraluka finally nodded and stepped back to stand by her brother, blushing a little.  
"Thank you, Your Highness."

Allana winced at the title, but smiled nevertheless. Ben beamed at her, catching her eye as he stood up and came forward to greet her.  
"Nice save, Princess," he whispered in her ear.

Allana's heart gave a lurch. She knew how soon that smile of his would be wiped out when he heard what she had to share with him. But she gathered up her courage and gave him a feeble grin.  
"Thanks. Say, could I talk to you...alone, for a sec?"

Ben moved away from the gathered bunch of dressed up padawans, a slight frown forming on his face.  
"Sure. What's this about?"

Allana fidgeted a little before deciding to just come clean.  
"Mom wants me to move to Hapes after Fete Week, Ben. And after my Trials, I'll have be based there. Permanently."

His reaction was just as she had predicted. Except it was so much worse to see it in person. His smile slowly faded from his face and the corners of his lips turned down in dismay. The bright blue of his eyes darkened and he looked away.  
"Oh."

His voice was gruff, a little too gruff.  
"Your mum's decided on that, huh?"

Allana, trying and failing to meet his gaze, nodded miserably.

"Well, won't say it's not awful soon, kid, but..."  
He couldn't continue. He reached out and gripped her shoulder briefly, then turned on his heel and walked away.

Allana had wanted to pull him into a hug, but had hesitated at the last minute. She felt the tears smart in her eyes, but felt a tug on her robes at the same instant.

"'Lana? What's wrong?"  
She looked down into the two identical faces of her young cousins, Dav and Che, their green eyes round as they gazed up at her in concern, and couldn't hold it together anymore.

Gathering them in a tight hug, the three cousins simply held each other in a private silence in a corner of the plaza filling quickly with an ever-increasing festive throng.

* * *

Valin Horn paused in his amiable conversation with Bandy Geffer, to follow the march of his similarly dressed compatriot as he stormed in back-stage and, without a word, flopped down onto the ground. He brushed at his nose and stared at the floor, anywhere, in fact, except at his fellow band-mates sharing the space with him. They looked on at him quizzically a few moments longer, but Valin could recognize when his friend was upset. He strolled up to him, his hands in his pockets, and regarded him from above.

"What's up?"

"Nuffin."

"Sorry, wrong answer. You're gonna get one more chance with me asking nicely. And if I don't hear someting concrete, I'm going to proceed to kick it out of you."

Ben scowled up at him menacingly. Valin remained blithely unconcerned.  
"So, for the last time nicely, what's up?"

Ben chewed his lip, fidgeted, drummed his shoes against the floor. Valin was keeping a mental countdown. Finally, the former caved in with a huge sigh.  
" Fiiine!," he huffed, "Allana just told me that she's gonna be leaving sooner than I expected her to."

Valin looked at him sympathetically.  
"That's...tough, man. I'm sorry," he put in kindly.

"Yeah, well...Her mum's taken the call," he shrugged. You couldn't really question the decision of a Hapan Queen Mother.

"Hey", Valin crouched down before his friend and forced him to look at him.  
"Then do this show for her. As a goodbye present. Ben, it's Fete Week and we've promised a lot of people a really good time. You'd rather have her go seeing you moping, or send her off in style? Come on, this could be your only chance!"

Ben didn't say anything for a few moments, but then heaved a huge sigh and cracked what looked like the beginnings of his usual grin.  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. We've gotta give 'em a show they'll never forget!"

* * *

After having successfully avoided him for most of the evening, Jag found himself finally cornered by Moff Mundae who apparently wished to "get a word in regarding urgent matters of State!"

He stared right through him, keeping an inscrutable expression plastered upon his face in the hopes that it would carry him through this unending interaction until some suitable distraction could be arranged to draw him away. Behind his facade, Jag's mind drifted and he caught only brief snatches of the Moff's incessant drone.

"...Remnant's sources of revenue...tax derived from the income generated...has become necessary...such restrictions imposed...would be greatly appreciated..."

A waiter bearing a tray of beverages passed by and Jag absently lifted a glass off it and took a sip, just to look as though he hadn't already passed into a stupor.

"...would be gladly obliged if you would attend..."

Moff Mundae seemed blissfully unaware of the fact that the Head of State hadn't said a  
single word to him since he had begun prattling and was revelling in the fact that his ideas on additional revenue generation for the Imperial Remnant had such a rapt audience for once that he almost failed to notice that the Head of State had suddenly gone extremely pale and was beginning to sway ever so slightly on his feet. His words were cut off though when the Head of State grabbed onto his shoulders and stared wildly into his eyes.

"You...!" he tried to gasp.

Moff Mundae froze instantly, his mouth falling open in shock.  
_What was happening?!_  
His heart had turned to ice. He had been the only one in closest proximity to the Head of State for the last fifteen minutes. That meant that this made him...

He felt the cold touch of two gloved hands on his arm and the sharp jab of a blaster being pointed none too discreetly into his ribs.

Head of State Jagged Fel was lying in a heap on the floor at his feet, his Chiss aide frantically running a medical scanner over him.

"Moff Mundae, I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to step away from Head of State Fel and follow us. We are required to detain you for questioning regarding this... unfortunate occurrence."  
The voice was flat and devoid of emotion. In fact, it was icily all too professional.

Jag's Chiss aide, Ashik, glared up at him suddenly, his red eyes blazing.  
"What did you try and poison him with?" he snarled.

"P-p-poison...!"  
Moff Mundae had begun to tremble like a leaf.

"Take him away!"

"I...I...!"  
Imperial Security, none too gently, hustled the panic-stricken Moff out of the suddenly silent Grand Banquet Hall.

When he came to, Jag found himself in the dark and somewhat cramped confines of a fast-moving speeder.  
As he began to stir, someone turned the speeder's interior lighting on, bathing him with a mellow glow.

"Wh- where...? Wh- what...?"

He still felt slightly light-headed and nauseous.  
_What in the universe was going on today?!_

Above him, a blue Chiss face came into view, and Ashik gave him a tight-lipped smile.  
"I'm sorry about spiking your drink, sir. But it was necessary in order to convincingly get you out of the building without anyone being the wiser."

Jag felt his blood run cold.  
_What the-?! Was he being...__**abducted**__?! By... Ashik?! But he could have sworn...! He would have trusted the fellow with his life!_

He scrambled up in haste in the backseat of his official limo when another familiar voice spoke up from the driver's compartment.  
"You doing all right back there, sir? Sorry about the rough and tumble."

Jag's mouth hung open.  
_Baxton?! He was in on this too?!_

"Wh- Where are you taking me?" he managed to croak out from an exceedingly dry throat. His mind was in a whirl and his first thoughts went out to his family.

_Jaina? The boys? Are they safe?_

Beside him, Ashik cleared his throat. Jag swivelled to look at him, still unable to get rid of the shock and betrayal in his eyes. Ashik seemed to notice it for the first time and, in turn, looked genuinely startled.  
"I- I'm sorry, sir, but... well, there's something important I believe we may have overlooked in your preparations for tonight. Please sir. Once you see this, I'm sure you'll view our actions in a kinder light."

Jag had to give it to him. Ashik could pull off the solemnly hurt but dignified tone really well. He almost snatched the datapad he held out to him from his hands, fully expecting to find a ransom note on it. Instead, what met his eyes was this:

_Dear Mommy and Daddy,_

_You are cordially invited to the grand performance of the Shooting Stars Younglings Band on Fete Day evening at the Galactic City Central Home for War Orphans for a fund-raising gala and a magical evening you won't forget! We hope to see you there!_

_Sincerely,_  
_Davin and Cherian Fel._

It was printed in childish block lettering and decorated in all the colours of the rainbow.

Jag sagged back against his seat feeling an overwhelming sense of relief wash over him. He looked up to see his faithful driver and aide wearing wide grins, positive that he would forgive them after this. Well, they would be in for a surprise. He was positively prepared to _kiss _ them after this!

Jaina must have known he wouldn't be able to tear himself away from his obligations and therefore must have decided to spare him the heartache of missing his sons' Fete Day show. And Ashik must have known how furious he would have been at his wife when he would have found out about it later. Thus, the charade.

"Well," he tried to collect himself, weakly.  
"I suppose you got Karn to take my place for the rest of the evening?"

"Oh yes, sir. The diversion was mainly to rescue you from entering into a coma from the incessant monologue from Moff Mundae and to perhaps encourage him to think twice before imposing his presence and trifling with the Head of State's time on such mundane matters as well as to shuttle you out of the premises unnoticed in the tumult while we substituted your double. Don't worry, sir. We didn't harass the poor Moff too much, and we covered up the incident saying it was a false alarm, simply the untimely rearing of a long-dormant allergy, not poisoning."

Jag was staring at the completely dispassionate Chiss in amazement.  
_Well, whaddya know?!_ he thought incredulously,_ Ashik has a sense of humour!_

* * *

The stage was set. The crowd had gathered and their collective voices had swelled into a significant din. But Ben Skywalker was still not ready to put in an appearance. He paced restlessly behind the curtains while the gathered audience chanted their name and demanded they start the show.

Valin Horn looked a little puzzled.  
"What're we waiting for, man? You want the folks out there to start storming the stage?"

"He's not here yet!" Ben snapped.

"Who?" Valin queried, a frown creasing his forehead.

Ben glanced towards his twin cousins, seated on the floor, looking at him with big worried eyes, and sighed.  
"Look, give it five more minutes, ok? I'm sure he's gonna be here any minute."

Valin shrugged, but still looked dubious.  
"Why don't we atleast take places? With all these kids, that's going to take some doing."

Ben chewed his lip, looking from the Fel boys to his bandmates, and finally nodded.  
"Ok. You take them out. Buy me some time, though, will ya?"

"Where're you going?!"

Ben glanced back over his shoulder.  
"I'll be back."

* * *

Jaina tried to stand on tiptoe to see over the shaggy heads of the collected group of teenagers standing in front of her. They were all dressed in identical black t-shirts with some kind of vicious graphics on the front and all smelled as though they hadn't bathed in a week. On either side of her, her parents, Leia and Han were taking in the scene with amused smiles on their faces.

"Reminds me of Fete Week celebrations back on Corellia", Han said, taking in a huge lungful of the crisp winter air.  
"Races, shooting contests, sabacc tables and all the whisky you could drink!"

Leia nudged him hard in the ribs, indicating the gang getting restless in front of them.  
"I bet they smelled the same back there too," she smirked.

Han gave her a wide grin and loped an arm around her, pulling him closer to his side. Then he wrapped the other one gently around his daughter's shoulders.  
"Getting nervy about the boys' debut?"

Jaina gave him a wan smile.  
"Not really. They've been far too excited about this for the last two weeks. It was crazy trying to keep it from Jag."

Leia glanced over at her.  
"From Jag? Why? Where is he, honey?"

Jaina sighed.  
"It's the night of the Imperial Fete Banquet, Mom. How do you think the Head of State is going to make excuses away from that?"

Leia grimaced.  
"Ouch! Poor Jag. He must be feeling terrible!"

"That's why I had to swear the boys to secrecy and make them keep their word! It hasn't been easy," she sighed, wearily shaking her head.

Han's brow had grown thunderous.  
"Wait just a second, there. Are you saying that my son-in-law has the _gall _ to stay away from _MY _ grandsons' Fete Day show?!"

Leia wisely latched onto her husband's arm.  
"Honey, it's only because it's_ Jag _ that Jaina probably got to wheedle out of the event herself, isn't that right, sweetheart?" she prompted, "Remember how I would drag you to every single one of my diplomatic gatherings?"

This time it was Han's turn to grimace.  
"Oh don't even remind me!" he groaned, "It's all because of you that I've grown allergic to political stiffs and high collars!"

"Well then, you can blame Luke next time you see him for forcing Jag into accepting the job in the first place," Leia retorted mildly.

She turned back to her daughter.  
"So how'd you explain it to Jag?"

Jaina looked a trifle guilty and fidgeted with her purse as she answered.  
"I- I didn't. I got Ashik to fill in my body double, Lena, in my place."

Leia looked shocked.  
"Jaina! That's terrible!"

"Yeah, well," Jaina shrugged miserably, "Atleast this way the boys get to have one of their parents attending their show."

Han squeezed Jaina's shoulder sympathetically.

**********

At that moment, Jaina's comlink buzzed. She looked surprised as she took it out of her purse.  
"Solo-Fel."

"Where is he?"  
The question was terse and abrupt.

Jaina frowned.  
"Where's who?"

"Your ruddy husband, that's who!"

Jaina's frown deepened.  
"What in the galaxy are you talking about, Ben? Jag isn't supposed to be here..."  
She trailed off, a nasty suspicion forming in her mind.

"Not since I've had anything to do with it!"

Her heart sank.  
"Ben Skywalker!" she hissed, "What have you set my husband up for?"

"Something he really shouldn't miss. Well, let me know if you spot him, ok? Skywalker out."  
And the comlink disconnected.

Jaina let out an angry huff.  
"One of these days, I swear! I don't care if he's my baby cousin, but I'm going to have his hide!"

* * *

Jag was stuck in traffic. All roads leading to the Galactic City Central Home for War Orphans were choked, and not having notified CSF Traffic Control beforehand, even the official speeder of the Imperial Head of State couldn't make much headway. Baxton was cussing an Ortolan driver heading him off fluently and even Ashik was beginning to show signs of fluster. Jag knew he was getting late and his patience was wearing thin.

"Baxton," he called out to his otherwise unflappable driver, "Move the speeder aside. Can you drop me off at one of the pedwalks?"

Baxton's eyes widened as he grasped his superior's intentions.  
"But sir! The pedwalks take a very circuitous route to the orphanage, sir! It will take you almost an hour if you want to try making it on foot!"

Jag's lips thinned.  
"Who said anything about trying to make it on foot? Don't we still keep that fold-out speeder bike in the trunk for emergencies? Well, I'm authorizing this as an emergency!"

* * *

There was nothing to be done. Jag or no Jag, they would simply have to get started now. Valin had been buzzing him repeatedly on his comm. The padawans had begun to get jittery and restless and if they delayed any longer, the crowd would start baying for blood!

Ben cast a helpless glance at the large entrance gates, but no Imperial State speeder pulled up there.  
_The poor twins,_ he thought, _They're going to be so disappointed..._

Suddenly he felt a soft pressure against his arm.  
"Need some help, Master?"

From beneath a dark hood, Allana's bright grey eyes sparkled up at him mischievously.

A slow grin spread over Ben's face.  
"Sure could, Princess! Now listen carefully. I've got a mission for you!"

* * *

An Imperial Head of State doesn't normally zip around the Coruscant skylanes in shirt-sleeves on a state-of-the-art multi-million credit speeder bike.  
But then again, Imperial Heads of State are not normally supposed to be late in attending important functions either.  
Which was why Jagged Fel presented an astounding figure, seated astride a Model _Krayt_- series customized armoured speeder bike, his hair flying in the wind, racing flat out for the Galactic City War-Orphanage. For once in his life, he paid no attention to traffic rules and regulations, the wind whipping his lips into a snarl as he dodged and ducked behind cargo-vans and air taxis, putting his considerable skill as a pilot to good use.

But it was no use. He was able to get as far as 750 yards from the gates before a pile-up pulled even him to a stop. Two alien beings were engaged in fisticuffs over a parking spot, with tentacles and arms flying everywhere. Jag looked on in despair, frantically trying to spot some way out of the entanglement, but it looked hopeless. His shoulders had almost slumped in defeat as he attempted to wait out the fight, time ticking by agonizingly when all of a sudden, a pall of silence fell on the jam of vehicles and their owners and occupants who all fell apart respectfully to make way. A sleek shadow was inching itself up to the approach to the orphanage and as Jag turned to look, his mouth fell open in astonishment. It appeared that the surprises for the night were not yet over.

The Hapan Queen Mother's cruiser slowed to a stop a few metres beside him and a comm port opened up on it's side.  
"Need a lift, Uncle Jag?" an extremely cocky young voice piped up from within.

Jag gasped.  
"Al- Allana?! What are you doing here?!"

"I think we're headed the same way, and my ship probably has more leverage in making its way through at the moment. Hop on, and better make it snappy. Ben has a habit of pompously announcing how the show must go on!"

Jag could scarcely believe his luck and certainly didn't need to be told twice. He maneuvered over to where a hatch was slowly cycling open and was pulled aboard by two Hapan security guards.

He made his way within to the main deck and found Allana standing and smirking beside the lovely figure of her mother, Queen Mother Tenel Ka who regarded his dishevelled appearance with some measure of amusement.

"Head of State Fel. Surely you cannot be thinking of setting an example by your state of dress in front of the children at such an important function!"

Jag grinned even though the Queen Mother's face remained royally impassive.  
"Queen Mother, you are gracious as always."

He bent formally to kiss her hand and then the two old friends embraced.

Jag wrapped an arm around his niece's neck, pretending to throttle her.  
"All right you! Who told you where I'd be?"

Allana opened her mouth in a mock scream.  
"It was...Ben! Ben Skywalker! _He's _ the one you want! I'm just his errand girl! I don't know nuffink!"

Jag looked at her ruefully.  
"Why is there a Skywalker behind every crisis in my life?"

Allana shrugged and looked at him with all the innocence she could muster.  
"Maybe you shouldn't have married his cousin?"

Jag waggled a warning figer in the young girl's face.  
"Don't let your aunt hear you say that. Now, do your Hapan ships go any faster than this? There's someplace important I have to be."

* * *

The curtains lifted to the beat of a classic disco number and the crowd roared in approval. A figure, all dressed in brilliant yellow, strode onto the stage, his face hidden by a wide brimmed hat and as he moved, women began to scream. He flashed a rockstar's cock-sure grin at his audience as he moved with a sure grace, shimmying and sliding on the stage.

Jaina, straining to see above the heads of the jumping and hooting teenagers in front of her, stifled a laugh as she recognized Valin Horn. But then her attention focussed on two small figures behind him, at the centre of the kiddie crowd. Her twin sons were solemnly focussed on the music, doing their best to keep up with it's demanding tempo. Jaina's hand lifted to her mouth as a proud and fond smile threatened to split her face.

The vociferousness of the watchers began to double as a second similarly garbed figure caught their attention, moving up the aisle between them, matching his steps with the one on-stage. But he would dart into the crowd from time to time, making his fans squeal in anticipation of being able to touch him, but would deftly move just out of their reach, only pulling out a child from amidst them and sending him or her scampering towards the stage. By the time he approached the dance floor, a sizeable crowd of youngsters had grown onstage, swaying awkwardly to their own rhythms, laughing and giddy in the spotlight while the two pros brought the number to a sensational close.

Jaina was too busy clapping like the proud mom she was to notice when a strong arm slipped around her waist. She whirled and her mouth fell open at the sight of her husband, beaming towards the stage, where their sons were taking as many bows as fast as they could before they were called into formation for their next.

"What- how-?!"

"Imperial Intelligence isn't as bad as you think, my dear," Jag interjected mildly, still smiling at his wife's surprise.

"How long did you think you'd have been able to keep it from me? And such an explosive event at that!"

"I- I didn't want you to feel bad about disappointing the twins, Jag," Jaina mumbled, shame-facedly.

This time it was Jag gaping at her in astonishment.  
"What makes you think I would have disappointed my sons, Jaina? I'm here, aren't I?"

All of a sudden, Jaina felt a warm rush of affection towards her husband. She wrapped both arms around his waist and pulled him towards herself forcefully, not caring that they were two extremely well-known personalities and in full view of the public. At this moment, nothing mattered but them, enjoying some normal family time during the holidays.  
"Yes," she said, happily, "Yes, you are. And I'm so glad you could make it, Jag."

********************

The Queen Mother's contingent had a cordoned off viewing area reserved specially for them. Standing now revealed as _Chume'da_, Allana envied the little children on the stage, having the time of their lives.

Ben had pulled out all the orphan kids to join with his padawans. It was now a lively free-for-all medley, but somehow, Ben and his band managed to achieve some semblance of choreography in the chaos. She could see the several thousand strong audience pumped up on the energy of the performers. She wished she could join in their joyous abandon, but her royal dignity forbade her from indulging in such unseemly frivolities. Internally, she chafed, but all she could permit herself amidst her entourage was to keep time with the beat, discreetly tapping her left foot on the ground. Once, she had managed to catch Taryn Zel's eye, and the royal escort had smiled sympathetically.

Allana glanced across to her mother, the epitome of serenity, while still managing to enjoy the festivities and the atmosphere and drew strength from her. She stopped tapping and stood up straighter. Yes, that was what she should strive to be like.

He had heard somewhere that there was no pharmaceutical product in the galaxy to match the high a performer got when he stepped onstage and it was a belief Ben Skywalker still firmly clung to. The fact that he was at an orphanage fund-raiser with a huge crowd watching (with visiting dignitaries among them, no less!) had ceased to matter a long time ago. He was on a stage, with music playing, and youngsters surrounding him, all having fun, and he had the licence to sing and dance and make them dance alongwith him, it was all he needed. Valin, Bandy and the other musicians recruited for the evening were playing up a storm and this was the concluding number. It would have to end on a crescendo. He looked around him. The younglings had all given a sterling performance. Once the spotlight had hit their eyes, all their fears and trepidation had melted away, and they had sparkled through the evening. Ben cast a glance toward his twin cousins. They were pretty much holding their own in one corner of the front-stage, improvising their own style on steps he had taught them and revelling in the general public adoration. He knew that somewhere out there, Jaina and Jag were happy parents tonight!

But seeing his cousins reminded him that something was missing. He reached out a finger of the Force, searching for a presence... There! She was standing toward the side, with her mother and her retinue, her essence strangely subdued. Well, Ben could hardly have her feeling low at his show! He strode up to the microphone to deafening cheers.

"Hey...ladies and gentlemen," he waved, "Well, our evening is almost over and I just want to thank you again for being an amazing audience and contributing so generously to our cause."

He squinted into the crowd, blinded by the glare of the lights shining directly into his eyes.  
"You know, I've been up here with this awesome bunch of kids all night, and it's just gone to remind me of when I used to be just like them. Growing up is always a hard thing to do, am I right, kids?"

He cupped a hand behind his ear to be greeted with a chorus of yells of "Yeeessss!"

"No one ever wants to grow up and end the fun of being a kid!"

He paused and unhooked the mike from its stand, starting to make his way over to one side of the stage.  
"But I have someone in the audience here tonight, someone pretty special, who I'm afraid is having to do just that. Grow up really fast, I mean. So I'd like to dedicate our last number to her, as my way of saying hey, no matter where you are, however far away from me, I'll always keep an eye on you, _two _ eyes, if I can spare 'em! So, Princess? May I have the honour of having you up here with me for this one?"

Allana stared in shock at her cousin's outstretched hand and beaming face, inviting her up onto the stage.  
_What is he thinking?!_ she thought, frantically,_ Hapan Chume'das don't rock n' roll!_

But her heart had started beating a little faster already. She really wished she could! She bit her lip and looked beseechingly towards her mother  
_  
May I, Mother? Just this one last time? Please?_

Tenel Ka's cool grey eyes met her pleading ones and for a moment, they were inscrutable. But finally, to Allana's great delight, they softened and she inclined her head barely perceptibly.

The princess could have whooped in joy! Gathering her skirts in one hand, she stretched out her other and grasped her brother's proferred one, allowing herself to be hauled up into the spotlight for one last night when she could forget the formalities and decorum attached to her title, and simply be the young, free-spirited girl she was. One last time.  
Oh yeah. This night was now truly epic!

* * *

Jaina glared at the stage as the show ended at a peak of euphoria and the crowd screamed and cheered and clapped itself hoarse. Beside her, her husband was guffawing loudly.

He turned to her, his green eyes shining, yelling to make himself heard.  
"They were very good!"

Jaina had her arms folded firmly across her chest, her expression stormy, but nodded.  
"Yes. Those two have built quite a reputation as rockstars with their little side-act."

Jag smiled affectionately.  
"I was talking about _our _ children, Jaina. They put up quite a show!"

Jaina's scowl deepened. Jag noticed and frowned, concerned, wrapping an arm around her.  
"Sweetheart? What's wrong?"

Jaina couldn't hold it inside any longer.  
"Did you see what he's taught them, Jag?! At their age? Did you see what they just _did_?"

Jag's confusion grew.  
"Who, Ben? I think he's done a wonderful job with the kids, Goddess. Getting all of them to be so co-ordinated...it's no mean feat! I wish I could make my Moffs quite as disciplined!"

Jaina waved her hand airily.  
"Oh not the other kids, Jag! I mean our boys! They pulled off that last move with him!"

"Yeah, so what was wrong with it?"

Jaina stared at her husband in utter incredulity.  
"Jag! It was- He's taught them- the _pelvic thrust_!"

_**[A/N 2: Next week, all the loose ends get wrapped up. Stay tuned and thanks for reading!]**_


	15. Chapter 9: The Denouement

_[de·noue·ment_

Noun

The final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are resolved.

The climax of a chain of events, usually when something is decided or made clear._]_

* * *

Afterwards, the entire family gathered for dinner at the Solos' apartment, which suddenly seemed to lack in space to accomodate so many people all at once. It filled Leia's heart to see it. Once upon a time, when they had just been recovering from the death of yet another son, it hadn't seemed likely that there would be any filling of the voids left by Anakin, Jacen and Mara.

And now here they were, more than ten years later, and she had three grandchildren!_ Three_! There had been a time she had feared she wouldn't even have one! Jaina's twins were arguing loudly next to a table piled high with Fete Day presents, as to what could possibly be in each one. Their speculations ranged from krayt dragon eggs to personal mini-droids. Her eldest grandchild, looking regal in a long dress of maroon stood on the balcony next to the tall figure of her grown nephew, chatting amiably and sipping glasses of Alderaanian wine, sharing a quiet moment alone before the inevitable good-bye. Those two had grown remarkably close, and their closeness further warmed Leia's heart.

"They've all grown up, Princess," Han's deep voice breathed into her ear. She hadn't heard him sneak up and wrap his arms around her, but leaned back gratefully into his solid embrace.  
"Even little Allana."

"So have we, honey," Leia's lips quirked into a smile.  
"Grown older, that is."

Han drew back reproachfully.  
"Speak for yourself, lady! I'm still the swashbuckling smuggler I was when I met you!"

Leia placed a loving hand on his cheek.  
"See? That only proves it. Even your memory's started to go!"

"Alright, alright, break it up, you lovebirds! Honestly! Hasn't fifty years been enough? Get yourself a room!"

Luke Skywalker moved over to join them, grinning over his own drink of mulled spice cider.

Han rolled his eyes, sighing.  
"And here's the sour old grouch in person."

"That's my brother, you know."

"Yeah, Han. And only my son gets to call me a 'sour old grouch'."

"He calls you a lot worse, you just don't know it," Han muttered darkly.

"Hey! I heard that!"

* * *

"The show was_ astral _, Great-Uncle Luke. Why couldn't you make it?"

Looking into green eyes instead of blue did nothing to ease Luke from wincing. How many times had he missed the minor momentous occasions in his own son's life, only to be treated to that flash of hurt and disappointment after returning from yet another day spent in unfailing service to the Jedi Order?

He knelt before the little boy.  
"I'm sorry, little one," he said, apologetically, "But I had some important work at the Temple. I had to meet all the other Masters."

Che frowned in concentration.  
"But you couldn't have met _all _ the other Masters, Great-Uncle! Mommy and Grandma Leia were at the show with us!"

Luke smiled ruefully at the boy's perceptiveness.  
"You're absolutely right there, Che. I was meeting all the-"

"He's lying," a calm voice interjected from behind.

Luke looked over his shoulder to see his son standing there, an amused expression on his face, holding onto a glass of wine.  
He knelt down beside his father.

"Come here. I'll let you in on what he was really doing."

Che obediently walked over to his older cousin while Luke looked on in ever-increasing puzzlement.

Ben was whispering something into the little boy's ear and he noticed a sudden spark of excitement light in his eyes.

"_Really_?!" he exclaimed, his head swivelling between his great-uncle and cousin, his mouth open in awe.

Ben nodded, smirking slightly.  
"Really really."

"Wow! Thanks, Great-Uncle!"

Luke's excited grand-nephew flung his arms around him and scampered off to find his brother.

Luke had a bad feeling about this. He turned to Ben, who was now smirking broadly.  
"Ok, what did you just tell him?"

"Nothing," Ben's eyes twinkled mischievously.  
"Just that you had actually been busy choosing the best speeder bike money could buy for his Fete Day present!"

Luke shook his head, looking exasperated.  
"You really enjoy putting me in a spot, don't you?"

Ben draped an arm over his father's shoulders and looked at him through half-lidded eyes.  
"Of course I do, old man. Just remember, I won't be inclined to let you off quite so easy when it becomes the question of your attending your _own _ grandkids' Fete Day show. So you better start thinking about drawing up a retirement plan, Dad."

* * *

"So where'd you get the idea?"

Luke had been regaled all through dinner with enthusiastic descriptions and demonstrations from the "super-astral show" put up that night. The twins had barely been kept still enough to eat their dinner, so charged were they, hopping up from their seats every second minute to execute one of their "super-smooth dance moves" once again for the benefit of all assembled. All the adults had been extremely indulgent towards their capering antics until their mother had finally lost her patience and hauled them to the table by their ears to sit down and finish dinner like a couple of civilized human beings!

Later, the men of the family had been deputed to do the washing up and, able to garner a quiet moment with his son at last, Luke pitched the question that had been intriguing him all evening.

Ben turned to his father, eyebrows raised, his hands still soapy and wet.  
"What idea?"

"Of taking your show to the war-orphanage's fund-raiser?"

Ben fidgeted with a fork, oddly reticent, before replying in a low voice.  
"I... uh, I've always supported their cause, Dad. We...uh, I mean the band, we've-we've done free shows for them before... we do what we can to help..."

Luke was looking at his son, a gleam of appraisal in his eyes.  
"I didn't know you contribute to such causes, son. I think it's great you've taken this up. Do let me know if I can help in any way. I'd really be happy to pitch in."

"Thanks, Dad," Ben flashed him a quick lopsided grin before turning his attention back to the dishes.

"But... if you wouldn't mind me asking, Ben... why- why them? I mean, it's a fantastic cause, of course, but..."

Ben didn't look at him as he replied, keeping his eyes fixed on the kitchen sink.  
"I was so very nearly a war-orphan myself, Dad. So it's a cause I feel I can really relate to. I lucked out. Atleast_ you _ always came back from the wars, even though I almost l-lost you to the Vong..."

He wiped the back of his hand across his nose, leaving a spot of white.

"Those kids lost their entire families to our wars, Dad. And everytime I look at them, I'm reminded of how fortunate I am in the end. I mean, I know how it felt to lose Mom, but if I had had to lose you too..."

Ben's voice finally broke and he lapsed into silence, scrubbing an already spotless dish rather more vigorously than necessary. Luke was at a loss for words, feeling a lump the size of a smashball growing in his throat. Wordlessly, he gripped Ben's shoulder, trying to convey through touch what he couldn't in words. But then, he didn't need to. Ben understood. They both did.

* * *

It was midnight. That magical time when children would finally be allowed to open their Fete Day presents. But rather extraordinarily, the two little children who were expected to go manic on their pile of presents, were still sitting by silently, not having so much as lifted a finger towards ripping the wrapping paper as was their usual wont.

Jagged Fel observed them curiously, wondering where their energy of most of the night had dissipated to. On this night, out of all nights, when they were allowed to stay up beyond their bed-time, his twins would seem overcharged naturally! The two of them approached him, both looking uncharacteristically solemn. Jag regarded them suspiciously. He had seen similar looks on the faces of some of his Moffs, coming to give him bad news.

"Daddy?" they addressed him, flanking his either side on the deep rug Leia had laid down on the floor.  
"Can we ask you something?"

"You know you can, boys," Jag answered, diplomatically.

The two looked at each other, and then back at their father. Then Davin spoke,  
"What if we said we didn't want any presents this Fete Day?"

Jag's eyebrows shot up.  
"No presents?! How come?"

"We want your permission instead."

Jag cocked his head sideways and considered them interestedly.  
"Permission for what?"

Davin sneaked a glance at his twin who nodded imperceptibly and then, gathering his breath, recited,  
"To learn an important lesson in how to be responsible and put others' needs before our own."

Despite himself, Jag wanted to smile.  
"Oh? And how exactly do you propose to do that?"

This time it was Che who came forward and locked earnest gazes with him.  
"Dad, we learned an important lesson today."

"What was that?"

"When we were dancing with the orphan kids, we could see how happy we made them and we learned that it's not presents that make Fete Day special. It's hope."

"Hope?"

"Yeah, hope that we can make a difference and change someone's life and make them happy."

Jag sat up straighter, caught off-guard by the words of infant wisdom pouring out of his son's mouth.

"There are some other beings who also deserve some hope and happiness, Dad. And that's what we're asking your permission for."

"And who might these 'other beings' be?"

Dav and Che exchanged one last look between themselves before going in for the kill.

"Whisperkits."

The entire room had gone silent, almost palpably holding their breaths, waiting for Jag's decision. Jag himself was completely non-plussed, having been caught completely unawares by the twins' strategy, torn between sticking to his earlier disciplinary ruling or succumbing to their liquid, wide-eyed and beseeching gaze.

It was Jaina who came to his rescue, breaking the silence and eliciting a yelp of pain from her cousin.  
"That was awfully well-rehearsed, you two. But I've seen that look before."

Ben's ear was caught in the playfully twisting grip of his sister's fingers and his face was contorted with pain.  
"Owww! Jaina! Leggo me!"

Giving it a firm last twist for good measure, Jaina released her young brother's ear and stood over him, smirking triumphantly.

Ben scowled darkly up at her, rubbing his ear, now gone bright red.  
"What was that for?"

"For your elaborate genius plan in getting my sons to adopt the litter of whisperkits in the Temple."

"_Plan?!_"

"Me?"

Jaina pointed a finger straight in his face.  
"There! See? That look."

Ben was staring at her, his eyes stretched wide in protesting innocence.

But Jag's eyes were travelling from his wife to his brother-in-law to his sons, his brows slowly drawing together.  
"Wait, Jaina. You," he indicated Ben with an authoritative nod, "What plan?"

Ben looked around him, caught like a mynock in a trap, still rubbing his ear, but now beginning to look a little sheepish. Everybody's eyes were on him, expressions ranging from mild amusement to straightforward accusation.

He gulped but tried to smile shakily.  
"Well...I-um...er..."

Jag's full attention was on him now, and he did not look pleased, leaning back with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Ben let out a sigh. He might as well come clean.  
"Well, it all started when Allana and I found the litter of whisperkits in the Temple Archives..."

The incredulity amongst his audience only grew as Ben's tale progressed, detailing an incredible plan weaving together the desire of the Woodoos to put up a performance on the occasion of Fete Day, his committment to the orphanage and helping Dav and Che overturn their father's decision regarding their keeping of the whisperkits by showing they could be unselfish and responsible and were willing to fight for what they believed. Jag's jaw actually dropped when Ben hesitantly let out how he had roped Ashik and Baxton into the plan as well.

When he had finished, there was silence once again. Jag's mouth opened and closed a few times without uttering a sound and he looked to his wife helplessly. Jaina's gaze was fixated firmly upon her cousin who did not appear to dare to look back up at her, but her face was inscrutable. Luke, Leia, Han and Tenel Ka regarded the principal players of the charade with mixed looks of bemusement and resignation while Allana and the twins looked to their elder cousin with combined admiration, sympathy and trepidation.

"And that's the truth, you guys", he finished, letting out a breath. He turned and shrugged in the direction of his twin cousins.  
"Sorry, bros. But that's where my role ends. Now it's up to your Mom and Dad."

He glanced up at Jaina, who tugged at the bridge of her nose, heaved a sigh and shook her head.  
"Sometimes I wonder if you dedicated as much effort to your studies of the Force as you do to your pranks, you might stand to become the greatest tactical strategist since Thrawn, Ben!"

For some reason, this made her cousin look extremely smug.

Jaina turned to her husband and shrugged.  
"Sorry, flyboy. They left the decision in your hands, now it's your call."

Jag did not look inclined to thank her for stranding him in such deep waters. He placed a gentle hand on each of his twins' shoulders and looked from one to the other, willing his heart to steel itself to the looks of disappointment he knew would follow his pronouncement.

"Alright, boys. I want you to listen to me very carefully, ok? Now, you know I loved your show and I am very proud of you for supporting such a worthy cause. But I still think that keeping whisperkits, _especially _ a whole _litter _ of them is a tremendous responsibility, one that I feel you two are still too young to fully understand. So what I'm saying is you can have whisperkits... but only when you're a little older. Not now."

Jag had been wrong. It wasn't two faces which speared him with instantaneous looks of disappointment. It was four.

"I'm afraid I must disagree with you, Head of State," a quiet yet distinguished voice spoke up from behind the family group.  
"I believe they are ready for the responsibility."

The Grand Master of the Jedi Order got up from his seat on the Solos' couch and stepped forward.  
"But I do agree that an entire litter might be too much for two so young, so I propose they be allowed to choose one each. Does that seem fair to you, Head of State?"

Jag rose to his feet, his face set in the manner he usually reserved for difficult negotiations.  
"Grand Master, with all due respect, they are _five years old_! I cannot expect them to handle the responsibilities of taking care of a pet. You must understand, I'm not forbidding them, I just want them to wait until they're a little older, a little more-"

"My father did."

The face-off between the two older men was completely interrupted by the quiet statement coming from the corner.  
Allana was staring at her hands, clasped tightly in her lap, but everyone in the room, Force-sensitive or otherwise, could feel the hauntedness in her expression.

Jag's shoulders slumped. Queen Mother Tenel Ka reached over to give her hand a squeeze which the young woman accepted with a grateful smile and looked up.

Suddenly the atmosphere in the room had changed. Ben leaned forward, concerned, wondering whether or not to take charge of the situation. But Allana was looking directly at Jag, her manner composed, but her eyes piercing.  
"My father was taming animals when he could barely walk, and even I was allowed to keep a nexu by the time I was eight. The twins are part Solo too. What makes you think they won't be able to handle a couple of whisperkits, Uncle Jag? I think you should have a little more faith in your own sons."

Jag felt himself flushing.

This time though, Ben didn't hesitate to intervene, sensing the situation to be on the brink of going out of hand. He stood up and laid a pacifying arm on Jag's, forcing the older man to turn to him.

"Jag, look, " he began soothingly, "Don't get us wrong here. We're certainly not presuming to tell you and Jen how to raise your own kids, but they've had their hearts set on this for a long time. I know they drive you crazy sometimes, but even I believe they're going to step up to the plate when it really counts. All we're asking is that you give them a chance and I promise, if things don't work out, I'll take the kits off your hands myself. Hey, it's Fete Day. Surely we can promise them a little bit of magic here?"

Jag bit his lip. Ben's words had certainly defused the situation and he certainly couldn't refuse the boys under this kind of pressure!

Ben nudged the twins forward. They stood at solemn attention before him.  
"Dad, we promise we'll feed them, and bathe them, and we won't let _anything_ happen to them! You won't have to worry about them. We'll be responsible. You have our word."

Jag wavered.  
"Well... but you don't get to have six..."

The boys' eyes widened.  
"You-you mean...? We can _keep_ _ 'em?!_"  
Slow smiles of absolute joy were dawning on the little Fel faces.

Jag gave them a curt nod but held up an admonishing finger all the same.  
"Each of you will get to choose only one. The rest will have to go to other homes. Understood?"

The boys nodded vigorously and ran up to hug his waist.  
"Oh thank you, Daddy! Thank you so much! We'll take the bestest care of them. You'll see!"

Fighting the urge to grin himself, Jag made his face appear suitably grave as he looked down into their overjoyed eyes and said,  
"Yes, I'd better."

It was quickly decided that out of the four remaining kitlings, Allana would take back two to Hapes and the other two were to be assigned to the Woodoo Clan as a collective project and a Fete Day reward for a scintillating performance at the fund-raiser.

Later, just before going to bed, Che silently sidled up and tugged at his great-uncle's robes.

"Great-Uncle?" he mumbled, rubbing his eyes sleepily, "Do I still get the speeder bike?"

Luke picked him up into his arms and smiled with a twinkle in his eyes.  
"But weren't you going to give up your presents if you were allowed the whisperkits?"

Little Che looked dismayed. He had very conveniently forgotten about that.

"Of course you do!"  
Ben arrived at his cousin's rescue again, affectionately mussing up his hair.  
"Jedi Grand Masters never go back on their promises!"

Luke gave his son a look of sheer exasperation.  
"Thank you, Jedi Skywalker, for reminding me," he remarked dryly.

"No problem." Ben gave an annoyingly cheerful grin.

Luke let Che down so he could scamper off to bed, then turned to Ben with a scowl.  
"You couldn't have my back for once with those kids, could you?"

Ben feigned a look of surprise, for which he was rewarded with a well-aimed cuff to the head.  
"Where'd the fun be in that?!" he protested.

Luke rolled his eyes.  
"I'm just waiting for the day _you _become a father. I'm going to have so much fun watching you get your just desserts for all the grief you've put me through."

Ben looked at him reproachfully.  
"Dad, that wasn't grief. That was your _job._"

"Oh no! I didn't sign up for a brat like _you _ when I learned your Mom was pregnant!"

Ben made a disgusted face.  
"Oh yeah. You wanted a _girl!_"

Luke smirked cheekily.  
"And instead we landed up with you."

He put an arm around his son's broad shoulders.  
"You've kept surprising me this year, Ben. And the way you stepped in with Jag just now...well, let's just say I'm glad perhaps some of your aunt's diplomatic skills are rubbing off on you. I'm afraid it's something that still eludes me!"

He inclined his head.  
"You know, I actually think you taught us a lot. Even your Mom and me"

Ben lifted an auburn eyebrow.  
"Surely you jest, Father. I could never presume to teach the Grand Master anything!"

Luke shrugged.  
"Not the Grand Master, maybe. But I learnt to be a father after you came into our lives. I never realized that it was a whole other ball-game to being just an uncle!"

Ben snorted.  
"Too bad you couldn't put it to any good use after me!"

Luke shook his head.  
"Nope. We exhausted ourselves just in having you!"

"And now you want to be a grandfather? Be mindful of your desires, Dad. They could come back and kick you in the butt!"

Luke's eyes narrowed.  
"And what do you mean by that, exactly, young man? Do you have something on the way I don't know about?"

Ben's eyes widened and he burst into a guffaw.  
"Oh you don't have to worry about that just yet, Dad! I'm still all too single!"  
He sobered immediately.  
"Gotta do something about that, though."

His father patted him reassuringly on the back.  
"Take your time, son. I'm not exactly in a rush. I'm still recovering from raising _you!"_

* * *

Father and son walked in companionable silence back towards their apartment enjoying the crisp night air and the sight of Coruscant even more bejeweled than usual for Fete Week.

They had said their goodbyes to the rest of their family, except for the twins, who had by then fallen contentedly to sleep. Allana had clung to Ben a little longer than usual, then the two had separated abruptly and turned away, both trying to conceal their sniffs and furious rubbing of noses from each other. Jaina and Jag had let the Fete Week spirit overcome their indignation at being so extravagantly manipulated and had parted with their cousin with a hug, not forgetting to warn him that there would be severe consequences if he attempted to pull such a stunt ever again!

Ben paused at a section of the pedwalk overlooking the Senate Rotunda and the Jedi Temple, decorated with iridescent lighting for the festive season. Luke leaned on the balustrade beside him, looking over the cityscape. They didn't speak for a while until Ben broke the silence.  
"By the way, thanks for sticking up for me back there."

Luke looked over at him curiously.  
"Oh? With Jag?"

"Yeah. I really hadn't meant for it to go so far."

"Well, I agreed with you. Having a pet can teach a child a great deal about responsibility, and Force knows the twins could do with a few such lessons!"

Ben regarded his father with suspicion.  
"Is that why you handed the Woodoos over to me? To teach me responsibility?"

Luke only smiled enigmatically, but Ben nodded in resignation as though he had his answer.  
"Well then, thinking about a sweet promotion for me yet?"

Luke laughed.  
"Oh no! Not yet! At your age, it would only go to your head! No, Jedi Skywalker, you have much left to learn and prove before I'm satisfied enough to name you Master!"

Ben grumbled,  
"Bet you were Master at my age."

"That's only because otherwise no one would listen to me."

"What makes you think they listen to you now?"

"Now I'm _Grand Master_. They _have_ to listen to me!"

Ben shook his head reproachfully.  
"Your arrogance is your weakness, Dad."

"Your sense of humour is yours."

Ben pulled a face.

After a while, he broke the silence once again.  
"Hey, Dad? Can I ask you for something?"

"Sure, as long as it's not credits."

"No, that I've given up asking you for. I was just thinking if... maybe you'd consider letting me continue with the Woodoos beyond this year? You know, go on to the next batch once this lot graduates."

Luke looked him over appraisingly.  
"Are you sure you want to do it all over again?"

Ben nodded assertively.  
"Yeah, I think I am."

"What would you say if I offered you a more advanced class?"

Ben's eyes widened momentarily but then he declined with a smile.  
"No thanks, Dad. I think I'm more effective with them when they're still nice and fresh."

"Hmmm. Very well. You can mentor the next batch as well. But you're not getting anything more from me for Fete Day then," his father warned.

Ben grinned.  
"That's ok. I think I've outgrown presents by now. Save your money for Che's speeder bike! He's gonna hold you to it, I can tell you that!"

Luke's smile broadened.  
"He reminds me so much of you at that age."

Ben looked toward him.  
"Does he?"

"Oh yes."

"I thought I was a brat?"

"That too. So's he."

Ben's eyes opened wide.  
"Just because he asked you for a speeder bike?! What did I ever ask for?"

"Oh let's see... one year you wanted a Podracer, another time you wanted a full-fledged lightsaber, then you begged and begged for a suit of Mandalorian battle armour, a Star Destroyer, a pet sand panther-"

"Ok ok, I get it! Sheesh! Didja keep a list?!"

Luke smiled fondly.  
"No. Your mom did. She called it 'The List of Crazy Stuff I'm Not Supposed To Get For My Son' !"

Ben nodded understandingly.  
"My mother was a very wise woman."

"Ah. I was wondering which side of the family your rare moments of sparkling insights come from."

Ben mock-scowled at his father's affectionate teasing.  
"Or maybe I've just grown up."

Luke regarded him thoughtfully.  
"That you have. Somehow I just didn't see the time passing by so fast."

Ben grinned at his father lop-sidedly.  
"What did you think was making that 'whooshing' sound by your ear?"

Luke returned his grin and then turned and looked back out over the city.

"We've had too few times like these. Peace time feels good sometimes," Ben remarked contemplatively.

"I agree. I wish it had stayed more this way during your childhood. Perhaps then you wouldn't have had to grow up so fast."

Ben rested a sympathetic hand on his father's shoulder.  
"I would still have grown up someday, Dad. That's something you can't change. Children won't remain children forever. All you can do is look to the future for hope"

Luke nodded reluctantly.  
"Ah, the future...Always in motion, is the future."

Ben smiled.  
"Yeah. And that's why there will always be hope."

_**[A/N: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how this story ends. There is a super-tiny, super-cute epilogue to follow, but otherwise, I shall bid you adieu. Until our next epic adventure! This is Fettkat saying, Good Night, and Good Luck! May the Force be with us all!]**_


	16. Epilogue

"What shall we name them?"

The twins were looking curiously into the basket holding the two newest additions to their family. One was russet-golden, exploring his new world with liquid brown eyes while the other, the smallest of the litter, still curled up in a dark brown ball of fur, didn't appear to have woken yet.

Davin reached in and stroked the head of the golden one. It instinctively nuzzled his hand. The young boy smiled.

"You know, his eyes remind me of that holo we saw, remember? Of the Wookiee Grandpa said used to be his best friend? What was his name?"

"I think Grandpa called him Chewie."

"Yeah...Chewie...This one could be my Chewie.."

"Grandpa was looking awful sad when he told us the story of how he died."

Davin nodded, still stroking his new friend.  
"Maybe he didn't really, you know? Maybe there's a little bit to remind us of him in all those who are really our friends..."

Che looked at his brother curiously, then turned to his own kitling. He poked it with a soft finger to see if it would wake up. Slowly, the ball uncurled and two dark brown eyes peered up at him in annoyance. It stretched, wiggling its ears and yawning widely showing the first hints of teeth in its pale, pink gums.

Che giggled and reached in to tickle its ears.  
"My one is furrier than yours!" he commented as it crawled up to the edge of the basket, "He looks like a tiny Ewok!"

Davin chuckled.  
"You gonna call him 'tiny Ewok' then?"

Che didn't reply. He had lifted the whisperkit into his hands and it was sniffing curiously at his face. It reached out a tentative tongue and licked the tip of his nose.  
"Hey! That tickles!"

Che stuck his tongue out at his pet too.  
"You're a licker, huh? Well, how do you like that? Yub yub yub yub."

Davin was holding his own whisperkit and watching the crazy antics of the other two amusedly.  
"Hey, you know what? I think that's what you should call him."

Che stopped his rolling on the floor to look up at him.  
"What?"

"Yub-Yub."

"Yub-Yub?"

"Yeah."

Che squinched up his face and lifted his kit.  
"Whaddya think? D'ya like that for a name? Yub-Yub?"

The kitling stuck its tongue out at him again.

Che sighed.  
"Yup. Yub-Yub it is."

** THE END**

_**[A/N: And as all good fluffy things must, this too, must end. It's been awesome having all of you on board for the ride! I LOVE (and I cannot stress this enough) to hear what you think! So do drop in a review/ final comments!  
Until next time, this is Fettkat saying so long, and thanks for all the fish! ;P ]**_


End file.
